Angel of God, My Guardian Dear
by Celtic Aurora
Summary: Alexis leaves her life in London to find her family. But, on her way to Transylvania, she meets up with none other than Van Helsing, and she accompanies him and Carl to Transylvania. Will she find what she came for, or...something else? COMPLETE
1. Run Away From This Hell

Chapter One: Run Away From This Hell

_England; late June 1888_

There was a house just outside of London that was the envy of all middle-class Londoners. It was the home of a prosperous man who owned a well-off shipping company, along with his wife, his older son, and his younger daughter. Usually, the house was a bustling center of activity, but, in the pre-dawn hours, the house was quiet.

Deep within the house, in a small room in the basement, a young girl quietly set a bag down on her small bed. She quickly loaded a few things into it from the small chest-of-drawers in the corner, then placed a bow and a quiver of arrows next to it. Glancing around cautiously, she picked up her things, opened the door, then slipped out into the hall, heading towards the stairs that led to the main floor.

On the main floor, as she crossed the vast foyer, she heard footsteps coming from her right. She froze, prepared to hide if she had to, but it was only a girl a year or so younger than herself. The girl's long blonde hair caught the moonlight coming from the large window as she hurried forward.

"Vivian, what are you doing up at this hour?"

The blonde, Vivian, kept running until the two girls came face-to-face. Then, Vivian stopped and put her hands on her friend's shoulders. Her bright blue eyes were deathly serious. "Alexis, are you insane? You're really doing this?!"

Alexis pushed her friend's hands away. "I can stand it no longer, Vivian…You know what it's like here! The Master and Mistress are horrible, working us until we're half-dead! And that odious wretch they call a son is even worse! You know what he's done to all the female servants here! The only redeeming thing about this whole damned family is their daughter, Elizabeth!"

A single tear leaked down Vivian's face. "You're really running away, then?"

Alexis sighed, but confirmed her friend's thoughts with a nod.

"Where will you go, Lexi?"

"I don't know," Alexis said. "Transylvania, probably. I think I have family somewhere out there…"

That thought-the thought that she may have family out there- was the only reason Alexis would ever even think of going to Transylvania. She definitely looked as though she had some Gypsy blood in her, with her long black hair, exotic features, and slender frame. Her only non-Gypsy feature was her eyes-a vivid shade of emerald.

"I'll miss you," Vivian said sadly, her voice thick with tears.

"And I, you, my dear friend," Alexis said.

She briefly embraced her friend, then turned to leave. Suddenly, Vivian grabbed her arm. "Wait! Lexi, I…I want to give you something…"

Vivian reached into the pocket of her tattered dress and pulled out a silver cross on a black cord. She took Alexis's hand and pressed it into her palm. "Take this…if you're going to Transylvania, you may find that this comes in handy…"

Alexis smiled, holding back tears, then fastened the cross around her neck. She reached down and picked up her things, slinging her quiver over her shoulder, grabbing her bag in one hand and her bow in the other, then headed to the door, opening it and slipping out into the moonlit night.

_Later_

Alexis slid into a dark side alley, a shortcut of sorts to the harbor. She leaned against a wall, pausing for breath, having run all the way from the mansion.

A nearby gaslight flickered to life, and she could see something plastered to the alley wall opposite of her. She glanced around, then approached the opposite wall of the alley.

It was a poster, a wanted poster. Large black letters screamed for the arrest of one Van Helsing. The poster also gave a cause for arrest-the fact he was wanted for several murders-a reward amount-2,000 pounds-and a picture. Most of the man's face was obscured by either his wide-brimmed hat or the scarf tied across the lower half of his face, but he was still ruggedly handsome in Alexis's eyes.

After a moment, she tore her eyes away from the poster and continued down to the harbor. Her boots and the frayed hem of her tattered dress stirred up the dust of the road all the way down to the harbor.

Despite the early hour, the harbor was actually bustling already, with ships preparing to sail for the day, and the harbormaster opening up his little station. Roughly about half of Alexis's pitiful wages secured her a passage to France on the ship _Lady of the Sea_. What was left would be used to purchase some supplies she'd need for the journey once she reached France.

Alexis stepped aboard the small passenger ship and leaned over the railing, watching the sun rise, staining the sky and clouds in shades of pink, purple, gold, and orange. A cool breeze lifted strands of her raven hair off her neck. And, for the first time in years…she felt _truly _free.


	2. A Promise and A Proposition

_**Author's Note:** Wow! Thank you to **Dr. Lust**, **Lorien Urbani**, and **Gem of the Stars** for your reviews! You guys made me feel really great! Um...now, in the story, I realize that, at the present time, Van Helsing doesn't know his name is Gabriel. However, I will address him as Gabriel 1) Because I like the name Gabriel better than Van Helsing(and apparently, spellcheck doesn't think Helsing is a real word), and 2) Let's just face it, I'm too lazy to type out "Van Helsing" over and over and over..._

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Van Helsing, sadly. I wish I did, though. I only own my own characters and anything that happens that didn't happen in the movie_

Chapter Two: A Promise and a Proposition

_Outside of Budapest, mid-October_

Despite the fact that it was only early fall, a fine layer of snow covered the roads outside of Budapest. It was cold, too…the kind of cold that seemed to penetrate even the thickest of clothing.

It was times like these that made Gabriel Van Helsing glad he wore plenty of layers.

On the other hand, his companion, a young friar named Carl, wasn't so lucky. Carl's robes were really only meant for Italian seasons, not Hungarian seasons, which were far colder. Even with the hood, his thin robes were no match for the cold.

They had been on the road since sunrise, and, judging by the sun's position, it was close to high noon…

Gabriel glanced over his shoulder. "You doing all right, Carl?"

Carl nodded. "I'm all right, but let me tell you, it's really cold out here!"

"Welcome to life outside of the Vatican, Carl," Gabriel commented, smirking slightly.

Carl gave a non-commential "hmmm", and they both lapsed into silence. They remained this way for a few minutes, then, Gabriel noticed someone up ahead on the road.

It appeared to be a young girl, around seventeen years of age, traveling alone. She wore a thin, tattered dress and worn work boots, and was carrying a bow, a quiver of arrows, and a small bag.

"Carl…look up there…" Gabriel said, pointing to her.

"What's she doing, traveling alone like that?"

"I'm not sure…" Gabriel said. "But…we can find out…"

---

Alexis shivered as the cold seeped through her thin dress, chilling her to the bone. She should have known it was going to take her several months to reach Transylvania, and it would only get colder as she traveled.

Behind her, she could hear the pounding of horses' hooves. She moved towards the edge of the road, expecting the horses to just pass her by. To her surprise, though, they stopped next to her. She too stopped, then looked up to see the face of the horse's owner.

He wore a hat with a large brim, which cast shadows over his face. She could still see his face, however…It was a very rugged, yet very handsome face, with hazel eyes full of curiosity and concern. His face was framed by dark, messy, shoulder-length hair. He was dressed in dark colors, and she could see what looked like the end of a powerful weapon sticking out from the bag over his shoulder.

_He seems so familiar…_Alexis thought. _But where have I seen him before..?_

"May I help you?" she asked politely.

"You know…" he said in a low, deep voice that sent a small shiver down her spine. "It's not exactly safe for a young girl like you to be traveling alone…"

"I realize that," she said. "But, while I appreciate your concern, I can handle myself…"

She moved to leave, but he spoke again. "I'm sure you can, miss. However, I would feel better if I knew you were safe…"

Alexis turned to face him again. "You would?"

He nodded. "Yes. Would you like to join my companion and me?"

Alexis thought about it for a moment, then nodded. His lips twitched as if he was going to smile, then, he held out his hand. She took it, and he carefully pulled her onto the back of the horse, right behind him. She settled in and he nudged the horse in the side, causing it to give a whinny and start galloping again.

"By the way, where are you heading, Miss-?"

"Alexis, Alexis Roberts," she introduced herself. "And I'm heading to Transylvania."

"What a coincidence!" the friar, who was apparently traveling with the man, said. "Van Helsing and I are-"

"Van Helsing?" Alexis asked in surprise. She looked at him. "You're…you're Van Helsing? _The _Van Helsing?"

He cringed slightly. "Yes…"

"Wow…" Alexis whispered. "I can't believe it…I'm traveling with Van Helsing…this is amazing…"

---

Alexis's statement took Gabriel by surprise. Alexis wasn't afraid of him? She was actually amazed at the fact she was traveling with him?

"You seem surprised," Alexis said.

Gabriel glanced over his shoulder at her. "My apologies…but you're the first person I've met in a long time who hasn't accused me of a being a murderer."

"Why would they?" Alexis asked. "If people think _you're _evil, Mr. Van Helsing, then they obviously don't know what _true _evil is. You're no murderer…in fact, I think you're truly a man of God."

Gabriel could feel the color rising in his face, and he turned his head away. _Such kind words from such a young woman, _he thought.

They traveled in silence for a while, then, Alexis spoke. "So, why are you traveling to Transylvania, Mr. Van Helsing?"

"I'm going there to defeat Count Dracula…and to protect the last member of the Valerious family," he said. He could see her face-the face of Princess Anna, the last of the Valerious- in his mind…so exotic, yet so resolved and strong…

Alexis was silent for a moment. "May I join you?"

Gabriel glanced back so quickly he thought he heard his neck crack. "Beg pardon?"

"May I join you?" she repeated. "I was going to Transylvania to try to find some of my family. Maybe there are people where you're going who can help me."

"You know, it's going to be dangerous," Carl said as he brought his horse next to Gabriel's. "This is, after all, Dracula, the King of the Undead…"

"I know," Alexis said. "But I can help more than you think."

Carl opened his mouth to protest more, but Gabriel cut him off. "I don't see why not, Carl. She wants to help…I say we let her. Certainly, we have more than enough weapons to spare."

Carl thought for a moment. "Well, all right…she can help you in the field. You know I'm not much of a field man…"

Gabriel rolled his eyes, then glanced over his shoulder and gave Alexis a warm smile. "Glad you can join us, Miss Alexis…we welcome your company."

Alexis smiled, too, then gripped Gabriel's coat tighter as they began to travel over some rougher road. For a while, all was silent, then…

"Why exactly were you going to Transylvania?"

"To find my family," Alexis replied. "My mother was murdered when I was a young girl, and she was the only family I knew. I always thought I had family there, in Transylvania, though. I'm hoping I might find them…"

Gabriel listened intently. She was almost like him, in a way…she, too, wanted to find her family.

"I have an idea…" he said. "Since you're willing to help me with my assignment, I say it's only fair that I, in turn, help you try to find your family…"

Alexis thought about that for a moment. Then, she nodded. "Mr. Van Helsing…I believe we have a deal."


	3. The Welcome Wagon

_**Author's Note: **Wow! thanks to people like **Kairi's-twin** and my ever-faithful reviewer and friend **Dr. Lust **for your kind reviews! Also, thanks to **Timeless Rose **for her keen observation and constructive critcism. Anyways...enjoy this chapter and if you feel so inclined to review, please do so!_

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Van Helsing. If I did, there would probably be a sequel to it already...and maybe it would have had a different..._

Chapter Three: The Welcome Wagon

Several days later, the trio rode into a town in Transylvania by the name of Vaseria. According to Gabriel's information, Vaseria was where Princess Anna was living. They brought their horse to a halt, then Gabriel dismounted and helped Alexis down. Alexis cast a glance around, noticed the villagers approaching from all sides, and nervously tugged the cloak she'd borrowed from Carl tighter around her, making sure to pull the hood up to obscure her face. She turned to warn about Gabriel about the possibly-dangerous villagers, but he was already walking towards the town square, with Carl following closely.

"So, what do you remember?" Carl pestered.

"Not now, Carl," Gabriel replied tersely.

"Surely there must be something…" Carl nagged. Clearly, he wouldn't be content until he got an answer from the legendary hunter.

Gabriel thought for a moment. "I remember fighting the Romans at Masada…"

Carl looked surprised. "But that was in 73 A.D.!"

"You asked," Gabriel shot back.

It was then that both Carl and Gabriel seemed to notice the townspeople closing in on them. Gabriel remained extraordinarily calm and collected, but Carl seemed to be just a little nervous. "What are we doing here? Why is it so important to kill this Dracula fellow, anyways?"

"Because he's the son of the Devil." Gabriel pulled his hat a little lower over his face.

"I mean besides that," Carl said.

"Because if we kill him, anything bitten by him or created will also die."

"I mean besides that."

"Do you need another reason?" Alexis murmured. Carl must've overheard her, because his face took on a slightly insulted look.

"Welcome to Transylvania," Someone said from behind. Alexis turned to see a pale-skinned man with stringy white-blonde hair, a tall black top hat, and dirty fingernails leering at them. Gabriel sighed, then dropped his bag and turned to face the crowd.

The crowd glared at them, clutching farming tools that would probably serve a darker purpose today. The man in the top hat, who seemed to be the leader, smiled sardonically at Gabriel, Carl, and Alexis.

"It is always like this?" Carl squeaked nervously.

"Pretty much…"

There was the sound of footsteps behind them, followed by a woman's voice barking out a harsh command. "You. Turn around."

Gabriel, Carl, and Alexis turned to see a woman standing atop the well in the town square. Her hands were planted on her hips, and her lips were turned down in a frown.

"Let me see your faces," Princess Anna Valerious commanded.

"Why?" Gabriel asked.

"Because we don't trust strangers."

"Strangers don't last long here…" the man in the top hat murmured. He brought out some sort of measuring tool and approached Alexis. She shivered and moved closer to Gabriel, so he switched to measuring Carl instead. "Five foot seven…by two foot three…"

"Gentlemen-" Anna began. Alexis coughed pointedly and raised her head slightly so that Anna could see her face, which her hood had previously hidden. "-And woman," she amended, "you will now be disarmed."

Gabriel's hand went to his revolver, and he tightened his grip around the handle. He saw Alexis tighten her grip on her bow. "You can try," he dared. He glared at the crowd, and their resolve seemed to waver under his stern glare.

That is, everyone's resolve except Anna's wavered. "You refuse to obey our laws?"

Gabriel looked back at her. "The laws of men mean little to me."

"Fine. Kill them."

The man with the hat, whom the trio assumed was the town undertaker, gave an excited gasp, and the crowd moved in closer. Carl looked as though he might faint or wet himself. Alexis paled slightly at the princess's harsh and merciless statement.

"We're here to help you," Gabriel said, not even a hint of fear in his voice.

"I don't need any help."

"Oh, really?" Gabriel countered. He brought his crossbow out, pointing it at Anna's head. She ducked, and Alexis caught sight of what looked like three demonic hell-bats flying towards them. Everyone in the village screamed, and Alexis paled again. What _were _those?

"_Everybody inside!!!" _Anna yelled. Gabriel began firing rapidly with his crossbow, trying-though not succeeding- to hit the creatures. He turned to Alexis, who was staring at the creatures with a look of panic and slight fascination on her face. She fiddled with her bow.

"Van Helsing, what in hell are those?!" she asked.

"Vampires," he said. "Probably Dracula's brides-"

His statement was cut short as Anna suddenly slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. A second later, a vampire with dirty-blonde hair lifted Anna off of Gabriel. He was on his feet in an instant, and he grabbed Anna's ankles before her vampiric captor could get too high. The vampire hissed, but dropped Anna and Gabriel, causing both to plummet to the ground, landing in a rather _suggestive _position.

Alexis moved to go help them, but she hadn't gone more than two feet when she felt something dig into her back. Her feet left the ground, then, she was flying through the air…at least until she hit the side of a building head-on. Black stars exploded in front of her eyes, and she could taste something metallic in her mouth. Blood…

Alexis felt something-or someone-lift her off the ground and slam her into a wall. Blinking, she saw another vampire-not the blonde one, but one with long black hair instead. The vampire licked its lips and gazed lustily at her.

"Mmm…fresh young blood…my favorite," she simpered, her Transylvanian accent as thick as molasses. She leaned in close to Alexis, so that her next words were a whisper. "I'm famished…would you mind if I had a little…_bite?_"

Alexis briefly struggled break free from the vampire, but her efforts were futile at best. So, she closed her eyes and waited, waited for the feel of sharp fangs on her neck…

She opened her eyes. The sun was out, the vampires were gone, and both Gabriel and Anna were now standing over the well, Anna tightly clutching a discarded, Gabriel pointing his crossbow down the well. The last few rays of sun disappeared behind the gray clouds…

All three vampires suddenly exploded from the depths of the well, the red-haired one grabbing Anna and carrying her off. A moment later, the red-haired one dropped her, causing her to fall through the air, only to be caught by the same dark-haired vampire who had cornered Alexis.

Suddenly, there was the sound of wings disturbing air behind Alexis. She turned, only to find the blonde vampire-Marishka, she thought she had heard- flying towards her, deadly talon-like nails extended. She ducked the vampire's first attack, then took off in the opposite direction.

"Van Helsing!" she called. "A little help would be appreciated!"

A moment later, Marishka spiraled out of control as no less than six crossbow bolts struck her. Both Gabriel and Alexis froze in the middle of the town square, waiting for her next move.

---

Anna had thought that she was safe when she'd sought shelter in that abandoned building. Her hopes had been dashed, however, when she'd come face-to-face with none other than Aleera.

She ducked into an abandoned tavern, only to find Aleera sitting at a table, drinking red liquid out of a glass. A dead man lay on the table in front of her. She stroked his cheek. "Thirty years old…perfectly aged."

"Hello, Anna, my dear." Anna whirled, only to find Verona entering the room, blocking her only exit.

Both brides approached Anna, looking at her lustily. She backed away, until they had her backed against a large piece of furniture.

_Damn that man! _Anna thought viciously, cursing the strange man who'd dared to defy her. _He shows up, claiming her wants to help us, but where the bloody hell is he now?_

"The last of the Valerious…" Verona crooned. Anna, realizing she had next to no weapons, drew back her fist to hit either Verona or Aleera. However, Verona grabbed her wrist and twisted it. The sudden shooting pain forced her to her knees. "I can feel fresh blood rushing through her veins!"

Aleera pushed Anna's hair back, exposing her neck. Then, she threw her glass aside. "I want first bite!"

Verona growled at Aleera, her mouth expanding to an impossible size, then, both turned their attention back to Anna. She wanted to close her eyes, not wanting to see her death. But she realized she wanted to die like a proper Valerious…with dignity, looking fear right in the eye. That meant staring her soon-to-be killers in the eyes as she died…

Suddenly, both brides shrieked in the utmost agony. They backed away from Anna, transforming as they did, then flew straight up through the roof, screaming _"MARISHKA!!!" _

Anna sighed as she realized that, for now, the danger had passed. Now, to deal with the _other _problem.

---

Gabriel collapsed on the stairs of the church, panting slightly from his efforts in the battle. Carl approached him, carrying his hat in one hand. Gabriel nodded as he accepted his hat and watched as Alexis approached. He was impressed with both of them. They stayed when most would have fun...and Alexis even managed to actually hit that one bride with an arrow…

The villagers began to surround the church steps, all murmuring things such as: "He killed a bride!", "He killed Marishka!", "He killed a vampire!"

"Correct me I'm wrong, but isn't that a _good_ thing?" Alexis asked, eyeing the growing crowd.

"Vampires only kill what they need to survive," the undertaker explained. "One or two people a month. Now, they will kill for revenge!"

Loud cries of outrage came from the crowd, and Carl turned to Gabriel. "Are you always this popular?"

"Pretty much…"

"So, what name, my good sir, do I carve on your gravestone?" the undertaker cackled gleefully.

Just then, the princess pushed her way through the crowd. "His name is Van Helsing…"

More murmurs came from the crowd, though these were decidedly friendlier. Anna stopped, planted her hands on her hips, and nodded at him. "Your reputation precedes you."

Gabriel stood up, hefting his crossbow onto his shoulder as he approached her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alexis cautiously step closer to Anna. "Next time, stay close. You're no good to me dead."

Anna actually gave a small grin. "Well, I'll say this. You've got courage…All of you do…" She spoke up to address the crowd. "They're the first ones to kill a vampire in over a hundred years…" Her voice lowered as she addressed Gabriel, Alexis, and Carl again. "I'd say that's earned them a drink…"

She turned to leave, beckoning for the trio to follow her. The crowd before her parted like the Red Sea.

"Personally, I think we may have earned a little more than a drink," Alexis commented under her breath once Anna was out of earshot. "But then again, that's just me…"


	4. Scars of the Past

_**Author's Note: **Wow! Thanks so much to people like **Lorien Urbani, Gem of the Stars, Kairi's-twin, **and, of course, **Dr. **Lust for your reviews! I love you all so much!! Cookies to all of you!! You guys help me keep going!_

_**Disclaimer: **As always, I don't own Van Helsing...which sucks..._

_---_

Chapter Four: Scars of the Past

After they had retrieved their horses, Anna led the trio down the road to a large manor right on the outskirts of Vaseria. Most of the ride was quiet, as everyone was off in their own world. Anna and Gabriel were riding side-by-side, with Alexis on the back of Gabriel's horse, while Carl brought up the rear.

"You know…" Anna said. "I know your name, Mr. Van Helsing, but I never did catch the names of your companions…"

"Well, the friar's name is Carl," Gabriel said.

"And my name is Alexis Roberts," Alexis introduced herself.

Anna nodded. "Very nice to meet you both."

They all stopped at the doors of a vast manor and dismounted. A young stable-boy took the reins, and Anna pushed open the double-doors, leading them into a large hall lit by mounted torches.

"Welcome to Manor Valerious," Anna said. "If you wish, you can just take off your cloaks and leave them here…"

Gabriel kept his coat on, but Carl and Alexis both shrugged out of their cloaks. Anna cast a glance at Alexis's ragged dress and frowned. "Is that all you have to wear?"

Alexis nodded. "Pretty much."

"Well, that won't do you much good," Anna said. "Here, come with me. I may have some clothes that will suit you better than that…Van Helsing, Carl, wait here. We'll be back in a few moments…"

Anna took Alexis's wrist and led her down the hallway and through the manor. Alexis was slightly surprised, needless to say. Less than an hour ago, she had been ordering the villagers to kill them. Now, she was actually going to lend Alexis some clothes to wear?

"Exactly how long have you known Van Helsing?" Anna said as she led Alexis up a narrow staircase.

"Only a few days," Alexis responded. "Honestly, we met on our way here, and I joined him."

Anna nodded, then led Alexis into a richly furnished bedroom. A large bed took up most of the room, but there was also a desk, a mirror, and an armoire in the room. Thick red drapes covered the windows, pulled back to let in the weak sunlight, while an intricate quilt covered her bed. Anna crossed the room and opened the armoire, while Alexis stood rather awkwardly in the middle of the room, unaccustomed to such finery, despite her years at her previous employer's manor.

"What brings you to Transylvania, anyways?" Anna asked, obviously trying to make small talk.

"I came out here looking for my family," Alexis responded. "I always thought I had family out here…meeting up with Van Helsing was simply fate, I take it…"

"Interesting," Anna said as she crossed the room again and pressed some clothes into Alexis's arms. "There you go. These should fit you well and serve you better."

"Thank you, Princess," Alexis responded gratefully.

Anna waved her hand slightly. "It was no trouble…and please do call me Anna."

Alexis nodded, then turned her back to Anna and began unbuttoning the front of her dress, slipping it off her shoulders so she could put on the borrowed shirt and corset. As she did, Anna noticed something on her back, mostly hidden by the old woolen corset under her dress. Then, Alexis unlaced her corset and slipped it off her shoulders, and Anna gasped at what she saw.

Long scars criss-crossed Alexis's back, many stretching from her shoulders all the way down to her hips. They gleamed snow-white in the low, dim light of the room.

"What happened to your back?" Anna asked in shock. "How did you get all those scars?"

Alexis froze, suddenly tensing up, clutching the borrowed shirt tightly to her chest. A memory came to mind, one of the worst she could remember…

---

_Alexis slowly lifted her head, still feeling groggy. She was in a room that looked familiar, but…where was she? The last thing she could remember was running down that alley, trying to run from whoever had been following her…_

_She briefly took in her surroundings. A rough stone floor, rough wooden walls, no windows, low light…it seemed so familiar, but…_

_Shuffling footsteps came from behind her. Then, a voice, as hard and unfeeling as stone, yet as smooth as silk. "Aaah, so you're awake, Miss Roberts…it is about time…"_

_The footsteps moved closer, and Alexis saw her master, Mr. Whittmore, step in front of her. He grinned sardonically down at her._

"_That was a_ very_ naughty thing you did, running away like that," he said, speaking to her as though she was four and not fourteen. "And you should know what happens to people when they do naughty things…"_

_Behind her, something whistled as it cut through the air, then, Alexis's back practically exploded in agony. A small cry escaped her lips, and she felt something warm and wet trickling down her back. _

_She looked over her shoulder to find a man-one of the servants, it looked like-holding a whip in his hands. The end of the whip was stained red with fresh blood-Alexis's lifeblood. He brought the whip back over his shoulder, and it whistled as it sliced through the air again…_

_Later-it may have only been a few minutes, but it seemed like hours-she collapsed face-first on the floor, panting heavily. Her back had been viciously lacerated by the whip and was now covered in deep, bloody gashes. The floor beneath her was spattered with blood as well._

_A moment later, however, she slowly pushed herself back up into a sitting position, not wanting to give Mr. Whittmore the pleasure of seeing her defeated. A strong hand under her chin forced her head back so she was staring into the eyes of her insane employer._

"_You see, Alexis, I expect my servants to listen to me. Which means if I tell them not to run away, I expect them not to run away," he said. "Do not understand?"_

_Alexis said nothing, only stared back at him. Her eyes burned with pain, but they also burned with anger, too. Her employer sighed, then dropped her chin and shuffled out of her line of vision. "Matteo, one more should do it…make sure this one is quite painful…" he ordered the man bearing the whip. The silky smoothness of his voice was gone completely._

_Alexis heard the whip slice through the air again, then, a fresh, almost unbearable wave of agony exploded across her back. She saw more fresh blood spatter the floor, and she feel it on her back, trickling down, warm and wet. She collapsed to the floor again, on the edge of losing consciousness._

"_That should teach the little wretch a lesson she won't soon forget..." he muttered as he left, closing the door behind him. Alexis heard him give a small chuckle before blackness overtook her completely._

---

A sudden chill enveloped Alexis as the memory ended. That was the first time she'd tried to run away, and she had paid dearly for doing that. To dispel the chill, she quickly yanked the loose blouse over her head. Then, she reached for the corset and put it on, carefully lacing it up.

After a moment, she turned to face Anna. To her surprise, the princess had a somewhat-apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry if my question offended you or anything such as that…"

"No, no, it's just…" Alexis shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Come, let us go then," Anna said as she headed for the door. "Van Helsing and Carl will be waiting for us."

---

Gabriel had been waiting for at least a quarter of an hour when he heard the sound of heeled boots behind him. He knew it couldn't be anyone besides Anna and Alexis, and he turned to face them.

He was taken by surprise, however. Alexis's old dress was gone, replaced by a loose white blouse similar to Anna's, a tight black corset, a cropped black jacket, black pants, and a pair of boots. Her long black hair seemed to frame her face in a new way, and the colors she wore really made her vivid emerald eyes stand out even more. It was almost as though her beauty had been renewed by a simple change of clothes.

_She looks...lovely…_he thought. _They both do…_

Anna abruptly turned to her left, heading towards a door. Alexis followed her, as did Carl and Gabriel, into a large hall filled with furniture, a few portraits, and enough weapons to stock a small army. "So, how did you get here?"

"We came by sea," Carl explained.

Anna seemed to perk up slightly. "Really?" she asked, a note of interest creeping into her voice. "The sea?"

"Well, yes."

"The Adriatic Sea?"

"Yes."

"Where do we find Dracula?" Gabriel cut in suddenly.

"Yes, that information would be useful," Alexis commented.

"He used to live in this very house, four centuries ago. No one knows where he lives now. My father would stare at that painting for hours, searching for Dracula's lair."

Anna nodded her head in the direction of an off-to-the-side chamber as they passed it. Inside the chamber, Gabriel could see an exquisitely detailed map of Transylvania painted on one wall. Carl rushed over to the map, instantly intrigued.

"So, that is why you have come?"

"We can help you," he said, watching as Anna stopped at a table to examine a selection of revolvers.

"No one can help me," Anna commented, dropping one revolver and picking up another.

"We can try," Alexis offered.

"You can die trying. All of my family has. I can handle this myself," Anna insisted as she reached for a sword.

"So I noticed," Gabriel put in sarcastically.

Anna rounded on him, an insulted look on her face, and approached him. "The vampires attacked in daylight; they never do that! I was unprepared." She tapped him on the chest with the blade of her sword to punctuate her statement. "It won't happen again."

She slid her sword into a sheath, and Gabriel took the opportunity to speak his mind, "Why is it they attacked during the day?"

"Clearly they wanted to catch me off-guard. They seem almost desperate to finish off my family."

"Why is that? Why now?"

Anna walked away, over to another table to pick out a belt to hold all of her weapons. "You ask a lot of questions, Mr. Van Helsing."

A rare smile crossed his lips. "Hmm…I usually ask only two: What are we dealing with…and how do I kill it?"

Anna glanced over shoulder. "And what about you, Alexis? Are you the type to ask a lot of questions?"

Alexis shook her head. "I was taught to speak very little and just do my job."

Anna nodded, then addressed Gabriel again, "My father spent his entire life looking for answers; year after year. Tearing through the tower…combing through the family archives…"

"Carl. The tower. Start there," Gabriel ordered, turning to address Carl, who had been so quiet in his observation of the map that everyone had nearly forgotten he was there.

"Oh, right," Carl said with a nod, scurrying off in the direction of the tower. Gabriel turned back to Anna, who flicked open a switchblade, examined it, then shut it and tucked it into straps on the side of one boot.

"The only way to save your family," Gabriel stated matter-of-factly, "is for you to stay alive until Dracula is killed…"

"And who will kill him, if not me?" Anna asked indignantly. "Who will show courage, if not me?"

_Is there no reasoning with this woman? _Gabriel wondered to himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alexis turn to examine some daggers, clearly bored with watching him and Anna parry back and forth. "If you go out there alone, you'll be outmanned, outpositioned…and _you _can't see in the dark."

Anna turned away, ignoring him, and grabbed some strange weapon.

"In the morning, we will hunt-" he continued. She whirled around, weapon in hand, clearly ready to head out, but he caught her hand. "-But we'll do it together. All of us."

Anna allowed him to take the weapon out of her hand. "Some say you're a murderer, Mr. Van Helsing…others say you're a holy man." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Which is it?"

Gabriel sighed. Talk about a tough, not to mention rarely-asked, question. "It's a bit of both…I think…"

"I promised you a drink," Anna said suddenly. "Both of you."

Alexis gave a nod. "Yes, you did."

"The bar is down the hall. Help yourself," Anna stated, snatching the weapon from Gabriel's hand and pushing past him. "As for me, I intend to finish this once and for all."

He sighed as she walked away. It was as though she didn't care about her own survival, to actually want to walk into certain death like that. He turned and followed her down the hallway.

"I'm sorry about your father, and your brother," he said, hoping to distract her from her insane scheme.

She didn't take the bait. "I will see them again. We Transylvanians always look on the brighter side of death."

"There's a brighter side of death?" Gabriel asked incredulously.

Anna stopped, then turned to face him. "Yes," she said softly. "It's just harder to see."

She turned away again, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder, now seeming a little annoyed. He produced a small bottle from within his coat, then blasted Anna in the face with a small amount of the liquid in the bottle. She gave a small, surprised gasp, then, her eyes rolled back in her head, her eyelids shut, and she began to keel over.

Gabriel managed to catch her before she hit the floor. Her head lolled back, spraying her dark curls everywhere, and she felt so light in his arms.

_Even unconscious, she's still quite lovely, _he thought to himself. He gave a small smile of apology. "I'm sorry about that, too…"

_**Author's Note: **Hahahaha! What a flashback, huh? I couldn't resist..my wicked little muse just put this in my head and I had to use it! And you all wonder why Alexis ran away from home? And do I sense the beginnings of a crush coming from Gabriel? He seems to be fond of both Anna and Alexis! Well, please review and I'll update soon!_


	5. A Guardian Angel

_**A/N: **Hello again, my lufflies! I'd love to thank my newest reviewer, **Astrophysics Rock, **as well as give my love to my faithful reviwers, **Lorien Urbani, Kairi's-twin, **and my ever-faithful friend **Dr. Lust**! Hope you all enjoy...reviews are appreciated and loved!_

Chapter Five: A Guardian Angel

Alexis whirled around and watched as Anna collapsed in Gabriel's arms. He smiled and whispered something to her, then carefully picked her up bridal-style. Alexis cocked her head curiously, then approached Gabriel, still holding the dagger she'd been examining.

"What did you do to her?" she asked curiously.

"Don't worry…she's only asleep," Gabriel said. She really did look to be asleep, with her peaceful expression and her head now resting on Gabriel's chest, right below his shoulder.

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Was it really necessary to knock her out?"

"She was about to go hunt Dracula by herself," he said, turning away from the door. "I couldn't just let her go and walk into certain death like that…"

"Touché," Alexis agreed, nodding.

"Now…we should probably put her somewhere more comfortable…" Gabriel said, glancing down at the unconscious princess. "Her bedroom's probably the best place to put her…You wouldn't happen to know where that is, would you?"

"I would…" Alexis said, pushing open the door they'd come in through. She carefully retraced her and Anna's steps to Anna's room, Gabriel close behind. She finally led him to the proper room. He gently laid Anna down on her bed, removing her jacket and her belt of weapons as he did. Alexis was surprised, yet touched, at how gentle Gabriel was when he put Anna on her bed…it was as if he was a father putting his young daughter to bed.

He neatly folded Anna's jacket and left it at the foot of her bed. Her belt of weapons, however, he didn't leave. Instead he handed it to Alexis.

"Something tells me she won't be too happy when she awakens…" Gabriel commented as he handed Alexis the belt.

"So I say we just keep these for a while…" Alexis finished.

They both stared at the sleeping princess for a moment. Alexis glanced over at Gabriel. "How long until she'll awaken?"

Gabriel shrugged. "It all depends on how long it takes for her to overcome the potion…no more than an hour or so…"

"So, what do we do until she awakens?"

Gabriel shrugged, and both stared at Anna's sleeping form for a few moments. An idea dawned on Alexis, and she turned to Gabriel. "I say that we take Anna up on her promise of a drink…"

Gabriel gave a nod. "All right…that sounds like a good idea to me…"

---

The room that Anna had called "the bar" was just as nice as the rest of the manor. A large fireplace was built into one wall, with a large fire crackling inside of it. Across the room was a large wooden bar with several stools in front of it. Portraits and tapestries hung on the walls, while black drapes covered the windows. The sounds of the crackling fire almost drowned out the sounds of the storm building outside.

Gabriel and Alexis sat at the bar, feeling the warmth of the fire on their backs. Both held small glasses filled with amber-colored mead, though Gabriel's was untouched. Alexis, however, was already on her second glass.

Gabriel shot her a glance. "I didn't realize you…"

"Drank?" Alexis said. "Rarely. But I do…it was something a lot of the servants did, especially after an exhausting day."

Gabriel nodded in understandment, then, they both fell back into silence. He could feel a question in the back of his mind, nagging him for an answer. "Alexis…" he said. "I've been meaning to ask…why exactly do you think me a holy man, particularly when most people think me a murderer?"

Alexis took a sip of mead before answering. "Well, I actually have to reasons, Mr. Van Helsing-"

"Please…just call me Van Helsing. No need to be so formal," Gabriel interrupted quickly.

"All right, if you insist," Alexis continued. "As I said, I have two reasons…one, because I know what _true_ evil is, as I stated before. You don't simply kill or torture people for the pleasure of it…you do it because it's what you were meant to do…"

Her statement awed Gabriel into silence for a minute, then, he spoke again. "Why else do you believe me a holy man?"

Alexis sighed. "The second reason is…I know you probably don't remember this, but…you once saved my life…"

---

_Snow fell from the sky just it had done for the past three days. All of London was already blanketed with layer upon layer of snow, and snow continued to fall from the sky, covering up the dirty snow with pristine whiteness._

_Alexis watched in fascination as her breath fogged up at the end of her nose. She tightly clutched her mother's hand so she wouldn't slip on any hidden patches of ice. Her head was constantly moving, scattering her raven locks everywhere as she took in everything._

_Her mother smiled warmly at her, loving the sense of wonder her ten-year-old daughter had. She had seen snow before, having lived in London all her life, yet she acted like this was the first time she'd ever seen it._

_A gust of wind caught the scarf around Alexis's neck, blowing it off. The wind carried it several yards down the street before it came to rest in the middle of the street. Alexis let go of her mother's hand and raced forward to get it._

_Out of nowhere, a pale-skinned man appeared. He silently crept up behind Alexis's mother, seized her from behind, threw his head back, then sunk two-inch-long canine teeth into her throat._

_Her mother's scream of terror and pain caught Alexis's attention. She slowly stood up, clutching her scarf tightly, and turned to see a man with his teeth sunk deeply into her mother's throat. Her face grew paler every second, and her screams gradually faded as the vampire greedily drained her lifeblood from her._

_A moment later, he released her. She collapsed, dead before she landed on the ground. Meanwhile, the vampire approached Alexis. A small drop of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth._

_Tears welled up in Alexis's eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks. "Mother…" she whispered. "You…you killed Mother!"_

_"Why, yes, I believe I did," the vampire sneered coldly. "And I pity you, young one…I pity you that her blood wasn'__t enough to sate my thir__st__…"_

_He lunged towards her, and she opened her mouth to scream…but before she could, she was lifted up off the ground and carried away from the homicidal vampire._

_She looked up to see the face of her savior. He had messy, shoulder-length dark hair covered by a wide-brimmed hat. The hat also covered much of his face, which was young, but still looked slightly worn. He clutched her tightly against his chest as he carried her away from the vampire, and she clung to his large coat._

_He stopped at the edge of the street and set her down on the sidewalk. "Stay here…" he commanded in a voice that rumbled like thunder._

_She nodded, and he turned to face the vampire. Without a moment's hesitation, he threw himself at the vampire, his coat flapping behind him like a pair of wings. __The vampire dodged him, causing him to land face-first in the snow, but he sprung to his feet in an instant, this time with a stake in his hand._

_Alexis watched the nightmarish battle progress, spellbound by the agility and grace of the mysterious man. He lunged at the vampire again, this time hitting the vampire and sending it sprawling to the ground. He attempted to stake the vampire in the heart, but the vampire unexpectedly twisted, then grabbed him and rolled him to the ground. Now, the vampire sat atop the man's chest, pinning him to the ground._

_"How pathetic…" the vampire sneered. "You, a mere mortal, thinking you could defeat me, a creature of preternatural flesh and strength. Did you fancy yourself as a hero, thinking you could kill the wicked vampire and save the helpless little girl? Amusing…a pity no one will be able to save her once I'm done with you-"_

_The man, sick of the vampire's gloating, suddenly brought his arm up, then lodged the stake through the vampire's chest, right where his heart would have been. The vampire gave a loud, shrill shriek of agony, and black blood poured from the wound, __spattering the man's clothes. He pushed the dying vampire off of him, then stood to his feet and watched as the vampire disintegrated on the ground, leaving behind only a few ashes and a puddle of blood that stained the white snow black._

_Alexis suddenly let a small sob escape her lips. The man turned, just then remembering she was there, and he cautiously approached her. He was so much taller than her, so he got down on his knees so he would be at her eye level. _

_"Are you all right?" he asked softly._

_Alexis gave the tiniest of nods, tears still pouring down her cheeks. Then, she threw herself at him, locking her arms around his neck in an embrace. She buried her face into his shoulder and began to cry earnestly. Her small body shook violently as she sobbed._

_Awkwardly, he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a small pat on the back. Through her sobs, he heard her say something into his shoulder. He gently moved her so he could see her face-to-face. "I'm sorry…what did you say?"_

_She rubbed her teary eyes with her sleeve. "That…that m-man…he…k-killed M-Mother…"_

_She broke into sobs again, and he gently took her back into his arms. His heart went out to this poor little girl…she had, after all, just watched her mother's murder.__ He gave her another gentle pat on the back. "Everything will be all right…"_

_Alexis stayed in his arms, the arms of her savior, her guardian angel, for a long time. Her sobs gradually grew quieter as she slowly fell asleep._

Everything will be all right… _her mind repeated over and over as she slowly drifted off into the peaceful oblivion that was sleep._

_He slowly stood up, careful not to wake Alexis. Her head rested gently on his shoulder, her expression the peaceful one of sleep. He shifted her into a more comfortable position, then began down the street for the place that that…_voice_...in the back of his mind told him to go: the London orphanage._

---

As she finished her story, it all came back to Gabriel…that vampire, on that snowy night in London seven years ago. He'd been new to the Order, then…that particular vampire was among one of his first missions. But never did he realize that the young girl he'd comforted on that street was the same young woman sitting next to him, staring thoughtfully at the wall.

"How did you know that was me, though?" he asked, leaning a little closer to her.

Alexis picked up her glass and drained the small amount of mead in it. "I didn't at first…it wasn't until you had achieved a certain level of…_renown_…with Scotland Yard, and posters of you began appearing in London, that I knew the identity of my guardian angel…"

Gabriel could feel the color beginning to rise in his face. "What happened after I left you at that orphanage?"

Their faces were now less than a foot apart. "I stayed there for about a month or so, then as taken in by the Whittmore family as nothing more than a lowly house-servant. I tried to run a few times, but it was only successful the last time I tried…"

She glanced down, trailing off. Gabriel followed her gaze, only to find that his hand was now resting atop Alexis's hand on the bar.

They looked up, his hazel eyes meeting her emerald ones for a brief second, then, they both pulled their hands away. He could see a rosy tinge coloring Alexis's cheeks, and he himself felt slightly embarrassed.

They both heard a noise over the sounds of the fire and the storm. It was a distant roar, loud, ferocious, and coming from somewhere inside the manor. The roar was accompanied by the loud, sharp sound of a revolver being fired.

Once again, Alexis and Gabriel's eyes met. All traces of awkwardness and embarrassment were gone in both of their eyes. They both seemed to now be curious and concerned.

"Anna."

In the blink of an eye, they both abandoned their stools and hurried off in the direction of the sounds.

_**A/N: **Wow, what a chapter, eh? Hmm...is it just me, or do you sense a little bit of a connection between Gabriel and Alexis? All right...I've got a little bit of rambling. You don't have to read it if you don't want to..._

_One: You probably noticed that Alexis was ten in the flashback/story thing, and is about seventeen now. Well, see, according to the novelization, Gabriel's been a part of the Order for seven years. So...I figure since that sounds about right, I'm sticking to that. And yes, you did get to see a little bit of his softer side...cuz we all know Gabriel's really just a big sweetie, ain't he?_

_Two: While I was having a random moment, I had a thought: They all seem to have songs that fit them perfectly, am I right? Well, I figured out the perfect songs for Gabriel, Anna, and Alexis. Yeah, these are only my personal opinions, but here they are:_

_Gabrel-"The Truth Beneath the Rose"-Within Temptation(The Heart of Everything)_

_Alexis-"Misery Business"-Paramore(Riot!)_

_Anna-"Haunted"-Evanescence(Fallen)_

_Yeah, Gabriel's song I actually did I songfic on...it was a toss-up between "The Truth Beneath the Rose" and another W.T. song, "Hand of Sorrow". Um..Alexis's song, it's really the title that goes best, because of her life, but the song does go pretty well, too. And Anna's song...actually, my friend **Dr. Lust **did a songfic featuring "Haunted"(read it, it's a good fanfic!) and it is a very fitting song._

_Well, I'm done rambling here, so, if you wish to review, please do so!_


	6. Curse of the Werewolf

_**A/N: **Hello again! Here I am, with the sixth installment of Angel of God, My Guardian Dear! Thanks to all who read, and special thanks to **Gem of the Stars, Kairi's-twin, **and, of course, my best buddy and faithful reader/reviewer **Dr. Lust! **Also, thanks to my friend Rae for her help with the chapter naming...well, actually, she just told me to look up the scene title in the movie! Tune in to the bottom for some more of my insane ramblings...for now, on with the story!_

_**Disclaimer: **Think about it, people...if I owned Van Helsing, would I really be writing fanfics about it? No? I thought not..._

Chapter Six: Curse of the Werewolf

Anna was confused.

What was going on? Why was her world so topsy-turvy all of a sudden? First, that 'Van Helsing' had knocked her out and confiscated her weapons. Then she'd had a close encounter with a werewolf…much closer than she would have liked, in fact. Now, Velkan was alive! His behavior, however, was strange, to say the least.

He staggered away from Anna, muttering incoherently, and staggering as though he were intoxicated. Then, he began to pull at his tattered clothing, and he gave a wild roar, knocking over a table as he did.

It was then that Anna realized what was happening to her beloved brother. Tears stung her eyes, but she didn't fight them, not even when they spilled over onto her cheeks. "No! No…"

Velkan backed against a wall, then actually began to _scale_ it, only confirming Anna's worst fears. She turned her head away…she could not bear to see her brother become a…_monster_.

He stopped about halfway to the ceiling and fearfully turned his gaze to the large window. Storm clouds began to shift, causing the full moon to peek out from under them.

"No…Anna!" Velkan said, before his words were lost beneath his wild roar. He began to rip at his skin, revealing the dark brown fur of the beast beneath. His humanity fell away as fast as his skin, until all that was left was a large, dark-brown werewolf, driven by Dracula's will…and a lust for blood. He roared viciously at Anna. She stayed where she was, however, unable to tear her eyes away from the monster Velkan had become.

There were loud footsteps behind her. "Anna!" Gabriel called out.

Velkan snarled fiercely at Gabriel, but then, he leaped, not at the hunter, but through the window instead, shattering it. Anna watched as he left in a shower of glass shards, still frozen where she stood.

Gabriel ran in front of her, grabbing her by her shoulders. "Anna…are you all right?" He gave her shoulders a shake. "Anna?"

She remained unmoving, however, so he turned away, threw open the door to the outside, despite the pouring rain, and pointed his revolver towards Velkan. Velkan, however, was long gone…currently, he had crossed the river outside of Manor Valerious, and he was steadily loping towards Vaseria. Meanwhile, Alexis, who had followed Gabriel, approached Anna and put a hand on her shoulder. When Anna didn't protest, Alexis came around to face her.

"Anna, are you all right?"

"I already tried that," Gabriel murmured. "She's probably in shock having…" He paused, almost as if he was searching for the right words. "…Having come face-to-face with a werewolf like that…"

Anna heard more footsteps hurrying in. She heard sniffing sounds behind her, followed by Carl's voice, "Why does it smell like wet dog in here?"

Gabriel quickly raced past Anna and Alexis. "Werewolf!"

"Oh, right…You'll be needing silver bullets, then!" Carl fumbled around in his robes for a moment before pulling out a box of silver bullets. He tossed them to Gabriel, who expertly caught them in one hand as he ran past.

"Well done, Carl!" Gabriel praised, his voice fading as he raced out of the Valerious armory.

Anna watched him as he left. Gradually, things began to register to her shocked and numb brain: Velkan was a werewolf. Velkan was heading towards town. Gabriel was pursuing him with a revolver loaded with silver bullets.

_No!_her mind cried. _I cannot let Van Helsing shoot him! He is my brother!_

She pulled away from Alexis and raced out of the armory, pushing past a startled Carl as she did. Both Alexis and Carl cried out for her to come back, and Anna could also hear footsteps behind her as Alexis pursued her, but she ignored all this. Her sole purpose-to stop Gabriel from killing Velkan-was all that she thought upon as her carried her towards the manor's door.

---

"Nice night, isn't it?"

That cold, drawling male voice had shattered the stillness of the alley and the graveyard, and had also startled Gabriel. It was coming from the coffin he was backed up against. He whirled around to the front of the coffin, revolver drawn…only to find Vaseria's demented undertaker on the _inside _of the coffin.

"This is a bit tight for _me_…" he said as he stepped out of the coffin. He circled around Gabriel, forcing Gabriel to turn until his back was to the open coffin. Then, he held up his hands, almost as if trying to capture Gabriel and the coffin in a photograph. "But for _you_…it's a perfect fit. What a coincidence."

The undertaker then casually strolled away, pulling his shovel out of the snow dusted ground and heading towards the graveyard. "I see the wolf-man hasn't killed you yet."

"Don't worry, he's getting to it," Gabriel assured him. "You don't seem too bothered by him…"

"Oh, I'm no threat to him," the undertaker commented, jabbing his shovel into the frozen earth, breaking the ground for another grave. "I'm just the one who cleans up _after_ him, if you get my meaning…"

"Little late, to be digging graves, isn't it?"

"Never too late to dig graves," the undertaker assured him. Gabriel heard a noise from the opposite end of the alley and turned in time to see a shadow pass the end of the alley. "You never know when you're going to need a fresh one…"

The undertaker's tone had become darker, more sinister…and Gabriel didn't like the sound of it. He whirled to face the undertaker again…just in time to catch the shovel that the undertaker had been about to bring down on his skull. He pointed his revolver in the undertaker's face.

"Oh, so sorry!" the undertaker cried, suddenly afraid of Gabriel, though with good reason. "It's just…my nature?"

Before Gabriel could take any action-such as shooting the undertaker in the face-he heard the crashing of loud footsteps behind him. He moved in the nick of time-the enraged werewolf that had lunged for him instead slammed into the unfortunate undertaker, sending him across the graveyard. He landed in a freshly-dug grave, dead before he even hit the grave's bottom. His top hat came to rest on the handle of the shovel stabbed in the earth beside the grave.

_He's right…_Gabriel thought as he got to his feet. _You never _do _know when you're going to need a fresh one._

The werewolf also got to its feet, no worse for wear. Gabriel raised his revolver, aiming directly for the werewolf's heart. He squeezed the trigger…

"NO!!" Something-or some_one_-slammed into Gabriel's right arm at the last second, ruining his aim. The bullet intended for the werewolf's heart struck a lamppost behind him instead. He snarled at Gabriel, then turned and ran.

To Gabriel's surprise, it was _Anna_ who had thrown him off. Alexis was close behind Anna, panting as if she had run all the way from the manor. Gabriel started to pursue the werewolf, hoping to at least get one decent shot. "Move!" he snapped at Anna.

"No!" she snapped back. He tried again to shoot, but with Anna still following him and distracting him, the werewolf managed to escape before he could even get another shot.

That was the final straw for Gabriel. He rounded on Anna, locked his hand around her throat, and slammed her up against a wall, ignoring her gasp of surprise and pain. "_WHY?!_"

Suddenly, Alexis was at his side, pulling on his arm. "Van Helsing, what in the name of God are you doing?" she cried. "Are you _trying_ to kill her?!"

Gabriel shook Alexis off, causing her to land on her backside in the cold snow. He turned his full attention back to Anna, who was attempting to pry his fingers off her throat in order to get some air. "Why?!"

"You're…you're choking me!" Anna gasped.

"Give me a reason not to," Gabriel hissed threateningly.

"I…can't..!" Anna panted. "If…people knew…"

Unexpectedly, Gabriel released Anna. She dropped back to her feet, and began to massage her throat with one hand, while reaching down to help Alexis back to her feet.

_"HE'S NOT YOUR BROTHER ANYMORE, ANNA!!!" _Gabriel bellowed pointing off in the direction the werewolf had run off in. A shocked Anna let go of Alexis's hand, causing Alexis to topple back into the snow.

"Y-You mean that…_thing_…was Anna's _brother_?" a surprised Alexis asked as she began to get to her feet, brushing snow off her clothes.

"You knew?" Anna asked.

Gabriel sighed, his temper seeming to calm a little. "Yes."

"Was that _before_ or _after_ I stopped you from shooting him?"

Gabriel turned to face Anna. "Before…"

Now it was Anna's turn to be furious. She planted her hands on his chest and gave him a hard shove. "And still you tried to kill him!!"

"He's a werewolf; he's going to kill people," Gabriel reasoned, trying to be rational with the distraught princess.

"He can't help it! It's not his fault!!" Anna cried, tears glistening in her chestnut-colored eyes.

"I know, but he'll do it anyways!" Gabriel argued.

"Do you understand forgiveness?"

Gabriel paused briefly…no one had _ever_ asked him that before. "Yes…I ask for it often."

"They say Dracula has a cure," Anna said. "If there's a chance save my brother, I'm going after it!"

She turned away, but he grabbed her wrist. "No, Anna…we need to find Dracula…"

"But I need to find my brother!" Anna sobbed. "He gave his _life_ for me. He's the only family I have left."

Gone was the tough, hardened warrior princess Gabriel had seen these past few hours. As he stared at her now, it was a heartbroken sister that stood before him, a sister who only wanted the brother she'd known back. His heart went out to her…he almost longed to comfort her…if only he knew how…

"I despise Dracula more than you can ever imagine," Anna continued. "He has taken everything from me, leaving me alone in this world."

Gabriel let go of Anna's arm and took a few steps away, thinking about what he had just heard. _She and Alexis are more alike than I thought, _he realized. _Both of them lost their families…and both now seem to be depending on me to help them find their families. They're lucky…they have families to remember. But…but I suppose it only makes things so much harder for them…_

"You know…to have memories of those you've loved and lost is..." Gabriel paused, searching for the right words and turning to Anna. "…Perhaps harder than to have no memories at all. All right…"

Anna, who had been wiping her eyes on her jacket sleeve while Alexis patted her on the shoulder, looked up at Gabriel in surprise.

"We'll look for your brother."

_**A/N: **All right...time for some of Aurora's insane ramblings! First...you know, I never realized how motivated I can get to type these chapters when I'm listening to the actual Van Helsing soundtrack! It really helps! Plus, it's good music!_

_Second...this is seriously out there, but you know what song came to mind when I was typing this chapter, particularly the whole Gabriel vs Anna on the matter of Velkan thing? "I Write Sins, Not Tragedies" by Panic! At The Disco of all things..._

_Finally...let me tell you, Microsoft Word Spellcheck with THIS chapter! Apparently, to spellcheck, "Velkan", "Valerious", and "Vaseria" are NOT real words! Needless, there was a lot of little red marks all over the document when I was typing it!_


	7. Dracula's Nursery

_**A/N: **Happy Halloween, everybody! As a little present to you all-and because I had nothing better and ended up finishing this chapter while waiting for trick-or-treaters to come(this authoress was denied trick-or-treating on the grounds that she's "too old"-yeah, right)-I finished this chapter! Anyways, thanks to **Kairi's-twin, **my newest reviewer, **musiclover209, **and, of course, my faithful reviwer **Dr. Lust! **Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Van Helsing...and I highly doubt Stephen Sommers would sell the rights to an almost-sixteen-year-old authoress, so...yeah. _

Chapter Seven: Dracula's Nursery

A loud growl attracted Dracula's attention as he watched Igor and the Dwergi prepare for the experiment. His new "pet" werewolf climbed down from the rafters and into the laboratory. As he landed, he began to thrash and convulse wildly, pulling at his fur.

"Werewolves are such a nuisance during their first full moon," he commented idly as he strolled towards the clearly-suffering werewolf. "So hard to control."

The werewolf roared its pain, tearing at its fur. The fur began coming off in its massive paws, until, at long last, an almost-naked Prince Velkan lay on the floor, panting heavily. Only a shredded pair of trousers, barely hanging onto his hips, preserved his decency.

Dracula stepped over his exhausted form. "I send you on a simple errand, to find out who our new visitor is. You _had_ to stop for a little _chat_ with your sister."

"Leave her out of this, Count," Velkan panted, climbing to his feet amidst the clumps of shed fur. "She doesn't know your secret. And I am soon to take it to my grave."

_Typical Valerious behavior, _Dracula thought as he approached another part of the experiment that the Dwergi were fussing over. Velkan followed, stumbling and lurching into things as though he was drunk. _The typical melodramatic, overused, heroic statements._

"Oh, don't be boring," Dracula admonished. "Everyone who says that dies. Besides…tonight, after the final stroke of midnight, you will have no choice but to obey me…"

Chattering away in their harsh native tongue, the Dwergi suddenly ripped a corpse, blackened and charred beyond recognition, from the pod. They carelessly tossed it on the floor in front of Velkan, and Dracula couldn't help but smile as Velkan staggered towards the abused corpse. "Look familiar..?"

Velkan looked the corpse over for a minute, then, recognition came into his eyes as he gazed at the golden cross around the corpse's neck.

"Father..?" His muscles began to tighten in anger, and he turned to lunge at Dracula. "Nooo!!!"

Dracula halted the prince's moves by jabbing three fingers under Velkan's chin. "He proved useless!" he spat, stepping forward and forcing Velkan to step back. "But I'm hoping, with werewolf venom running through your veins, you will be of greater benefit!"

He removed his fingers from under Velkan's chin, only to have Velkan seized by the Dwergi a heartbeat later-well, maybe not a heartbeat to _Dracula_, but to everyone else. They began forcing him into the pod, though he surfaced a moment later.

"I may have failed to kill you, Count!" he growled. "But my sister will _not_!"

The Dwergi pulled him into the pod, and instantly began restraining him. Dracula ignored his howls of frustration and rebellion, and spun around once, leading an invisible dance partner.

It was _almost _like being alive again.

---

Alexis, Anna, and Gabriel carefully dismounted their horses, landing in the crisp snow. The werewolf-like footprints they had followed led farther, but Anna recommended continuing on foot.

"For me, this is all personal," Anna commented as they stooped to examine a footprint. "This is all about family, and honor. Why do you do this, Mr. Van Helsing? This job of yours…what do you hope to get out of it?"

Gabriel straightened up, then approached a tree branch that had something dangling from it. "I don't know…maybe some self-realization."

"What have you gotten out of it so far?" Alexis asked, squinting at the stuff tangled on the tree branch. It looked like…_fur_.

Gabriel pulled the stuff out of the tree, giving a small, involuntary shudder. "Nightmares…"

Anna quickly plucked the stuff out of his hands to examine it. "Werewolves only shed before their first full moon…before the curse has completely consumed them."

Lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled ominously, as if to punctuate Anna's statement. In the distance, the trio could make out the silhouette of a castle. They headed towards it, leading their horses by the reins.

"What is this place?" Gabriel asked.

"Castle Frankenstein," Anna replied as she let go of her horse, leaving it at the outer gate. "But…it should be abandoned! I don't understand…the man who lived here was killed a year ago…grave robber, among other things."

"A year ago?" Gabriel asked. "It was just after that your father went missing..?"

Anna nodded. "Yes. He was looking for Dracula. He was on his way to the sea…"

Gabriel nodded. It all seemed to make sense now…

"I've never been to the sea," Anna commented softly.

Gabriel turned and saw her staring off into the distance, seeing, but not _really_ seeing. She looked almost wistful. "I'll bet it's beautiful…"

She snapped out of her daydream and glanced over at Gabriel, almost as if she expected him to reprimand her for not focusing. Instead, he only gave her a warm smile, making a note to describe the sea to her later on.

Lightening split the sky again, and thunder roared loudly. The entire trio jumped, and Alexis swore softly. "Vampires…werewolves…lightening in winter…my God, this truly is a nightmarish place…" she murmured.

Gabriel approached the large wooden doors of Castle Frankenstein, expecting them to not budge when he pulled. To his surprise, they opened easily, and he led the trio into a large, dark hall.

Alexis wrinkled her nose. The hall smelled musty and old, but there was another scent…she could barely detect it, but it repulsed her anyways.

There was a loud noise nearby, and the sounds of someone speaking in a foreign tongue caught her attention. Both she and the hunter poked their heads around a pillar to investigate, but Anna pulled them back. "Dwergi!"

"_Dwergi?_" Gabriel asked.

"Dracula's servants. Industrious but extremely vicious. If you get the chance to kill one, do it…because they'll do worse to you."

The Dwergi continued to chatter away in that strange tongue, but Alexis managed to pick up two words in English: "Velkan Valerious."

Anna turned to Gabriel. "They say they're using my brother in some sort of experiment. My brother is still battling the sickness within him!" she cried hopefully. "There's still hope!"

"Anna…" Gabriel whispered, placing both hands on her upper arms, careful not to hit her with the large shotgun he was holding. "There is no hope for your brother. But…we can still protect others by killing Dracula."

For a moment, as Alexis watched them, she felt a twinge of jealousy directed towards Anna. _If only there were a moment where Van Helsing would hold _me_ like that, _she wished. _So that I could look into those wonderful hazel eyes…_

She quickly shook her feelings off, however, and followed Gabriel and Anna to a door. They were on a mission; now was not the time for wishful romantic thinking and petty jealousy.

Gabriel opened the door, and suddenly, a putrid smell met Alexis's nose. Her stomach twisted and lurched, and it was all she could do to keep what little food she had in her stomach from ending up all over the floor. She followed Gabriel and Anna through the door, searching for the source of the stench.

It wasn't hard to find. Hanging from the ceiling, the rafters, and the pillars, were dozens upon dozens of slimy, green, maggot-like cocoons. Slime dripped from them, and an unearthly stench came from them.

"Have you ever seen these things before, Anna?" Gabriel asked curiously.

"No," Anna said, her revulsion evident in her voice. "What do you think they are?"

Gabriel took them in for a moment. "Offspring."

"O-Offspring..?" Alexis choked out in surprise. "Y-You mean those…those _things_…are D-Dracula's offspring?"

"Well, one man with three gorgeous women for four hundred years…" Gabriel said.

"Yes…" Anna murmured, catching on. "Vampires are the walking dead. It only makes sense their children are born dead…"

"He's obviously trying to bring them to life…" Gabriel mentioned as he fingered the wires running into the nearest cocoon. He glanced at the cocoon blocking the path before them, then gestured towards it. "Ladies first…"

Both women shot him looks of the utmost disgust, and he seemed to reconsider. He moved forward, picking his way through the slimy cocoons. Anna and Alexis followed closely behind, giving shivers of repulsion every time they came in contact with one.

"Dracula and his brides only kill one or two people a month," Gabriel said, glancing around Dracula's dark, twisted version of a nursery. "But if he brings all these things to life…"

He trailed off, not even needing to complete his sentence, and joined the other two in staring around in dismay.

A moment later, jolts of electricity shot through the wires. Sparks flew, and the electricity flowed all around the nursery, into the lifeless sacs. The electricity died down, and the sacs began to pulse, as though they were…_alive_.

Gabriel cautiously approached one and touched it. A residual jolt of electricity shot through the sac, as well as into his fingertips. Anna, startled by the shock, backed away, backing into another sac, which spat sparks at her.

He did something very unexpected: He gripped the glove on his right hand between his teeth and yanked it off, letting it drop to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Anna asked, clearly confused.

"I want to see what we're up against." Without any further ado, the hunter then dug his fingers into the sac's slimy surface. It held for a minute, then yielded beneath the hunter's grip, oozing thick, greenish slime all over his hand. He dug his hand in deeper, clearing out the thick slime that filled the putrid cocoon. Anna's nose was permanently wrinkled in disgust as she watched him work. Alexis's stomach lurched violently, and, suddenly overcome by nausea, she turned away and vomited. The slime _inside _the cocoon smelled even worse than the slime _leaking _from it.

After a few moments' work, Gabriel paused. "So…_this_ is what you get when vampires mate."

Alexis turned and saw Gabriel sticking his hand deeper into the cocoon…and suddenly, there was a loud shriek and he yanked his hand out. He backed away, unholstering the shotgun he had holstered a while back and pointing it directly at the sac.

Another jolt of electricity shot through the wires, and the sac exploded, revealing a small, gargoyle-like creature with large black eyes and razor-sharp teeth. It shrieked loudly, then spread its wings and began to flap around. All around the trio, similar things were happening, until all the sacs had burst, and dozens upon dozens of Dracula's offspring were fluttering around, chittering and shrieking amongst themselves.

---

Dracula, Aleera, and Verona stepped out onto the balcony in their "nursery". To their immense surprise, all the sacs had burst, and their children were now fluttering all around the room.

One child flew up to the balcony, flapping around in front of its parents. Verona extended her hand, and it perched on the end of her hand, like a grotesque mockery of a bird perching on a maiden's hand. Verona gave a small gasp of ecstasy, then let her child fly free.

Dracula embraced his brides, pleased with the beautiful scene before him. But the thought of what was to come-the complete and total annihilation of Vaseria- that pleased him most of all.

"They need to feed," he whispered to his brides. "Teach them how…_teach them!_"

His brides leaped over the edge of the balcony, transforming into their demonic-bat forms as they did. They flew towards the large window, and, by instinct, the children followed their mothers.

"And beg the Devil-!" Dracula yelled after them. His next words came as a whisper. "-That this time they stay alive."

_**A/N: **Who's ready for Celtic Aurora's insane ramblings?_

_First off: Yeah, I realize I got the orde backwards. The whole "this-is-personal-what-makes-you-do-this?" scene actually came before Velkan and Dracula's scene together, at least in the movie. However, seeing as I was in...Math Class when I wrote that part, I kinda couldn't pop the movie in and look it up. So, I looked it up in my novelized copy. Two conflicting sources...so, for all intents and purposes, let's just say that those two scenes happened at the same time, mmkay?_

_Next matter of business: I have a fun little contest...does anyone know where I got the chapter's title from? First one to tell me the **correct** answer (emphasis on the word **correct,** here, people) will get...candy! Believe me, we've got plenty of leftovers...not a lot of trick-or-treaters, and a lot of candy..._

_Thanks for reading! If you liked it a lot...or if you have any questions/comments/concerns, you can dial the toll-free number located at the bottom of the screen...or you can push the magic "Review" button! _


	8. A Tangled Web We Weave

_**A/N: **Hello and happy Saturday to all! Well, here's a new chapter...congratulations to **Dr. Lust, **who won my little mini-contest from the last chapter! For all who don't know, the title "Dracula's Nursery" is actually a title from the Van Helsing soundtrack(one of the best soundtracks ever!), and it's the title of the track that features the music playing in that scene! Oh, yeah...thanks to **Dr. Lust, Kairi's-twin, and musiclover209 **for the kind reviews!_

_**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I still do not own this fabulous movie or any characters from it...but I do own Alexis, which is a start!_

Chapter Eight: A Tangled Web We Weave

Gabriel heard a window shatter as the brides led their progeny towards Vaseria to feed. "This is where I come in!"

Anna tried to stop him, but he burst from the shadows, shotgun poised to fire, and he began to shot at anything that was flying. The shotgun's special ammunition did the trick, causing the vampire children to explode into green slime when hit.

He whirled around, shot a child fluttering in front of him, and saw a man standing on the balcony above the room, watching him. He was dressed all in black, which matched the dark hair that had been pulled away from his face with a clip. His pale face was livid with rage.

"Now that I have your attention…" Gabriel said coolly.

Dracula gave a furious roar, then leapt over the balcony's edge, soaring right towards the hunter. He holstered his shotgun and ran, feeling a sudden blast of wind from behind him. The sounds of wings disturbing the air filled the room, and the wind scattered leaves and bits of equipment under Gabriel's feet. It also blew the doors shut…blocking his only escape.

Alexis heard Anna run and leave through a staircase behind them. However, she stayed still, almost as if she was frozen by fear. She saw the shadow of something massive and winged pass over the walls, then, the shadow landed. It shrunk back down to the size of a man and began to slowly stroll down the chamber.

A hand fell on Alexis's shoulder, and she nearly screamed her fear aloud. However, another hand clapped over her mouth, and the hand on her shoulder whirled her about so she was face-to-face with Gabriel.

Dracula began to clap his hands together in a steady rhythm in the background. "I can tell the character of a man by the sounds of his heartbeat…"

"What are you still doing here?" Gabriel hissed to Alexis.

"I'm trying to help you!" Alexis hissed back as she pried his hand off her mouth.

"Alexis…Dracula is dangerous…" Gabriel hissed, his eyes looking upon her with worry. "Too dangerous for you to handle. Go help Anna find her brother…"

In the background, Dracula's clapping sped up. "Usually…when I approach…I can almost…_dance_…to the beat!" His clapping slowed again to that steady rhythm. "Strange that yours…is so steady…"

"Alexis, please…" Gabriel softly pleaded. "If you stay here and try to fight Dracula, you _will _get hurt. He _will _hurt you. And I don't want to see you get hurt…"

Alexis nodded. "All right…I'll go help Anna."

Gabriel released her arm, and she silently took a step towards the stairs. Suddenly, a sly grin slid over Dracula's face. "Ah…is that _two_ heartbeats I detect?" he sighed in pleasure. "Such beautiful music they make…"

Alexis froze again, and Gabriel turned to her. "Go! Go!"

She nodded, then crept the rest of the way to the stairs. She sprinted up the stairs as soon as she reached them, leaving Gabriel to face the undead count by himself.

---

Anna stepped from the shadows into the upper levels of a vast laboratory. Generators hummed loudly, sparks flew from wires, and a huge tank full of liquid bubbled. The Dwergi scrambled about, taking orders from a little man with a twisted, hunched back, whom Anna knew as Igor.

"Accelerate the generators! Power the dynamos!" Igor screamed. More sparks flew, more machines hummed. "We are losing power! The human is insufficient!"

There was a scream from above. Anna looked up, and saw, through a hole in the ceiling, a man strapped to a table, suspended high over the laboratory, repeatedly being struck by lightning.

"Velkan…" she whispered. She emerged from the shadows completely. There was no time to lose…Velkan was in trouble!

---

Gabriel tightly clung to the top of the column, just out of Dracula's sight. He clutched the silver stake tightly in one hand, waiting for Dracula to step on the phosphorescent match he had left…

The match ignited as Dracula's right foot came down upon it. The blue glare it emitted distracted Dracula, and Gabriel dropped down in front of the count, still clutching the stake. In one fluid motion, he drove the stake through Dracula's heart, all the way up to the handle. Dracula gave a long, drawn-out shriek of agony, and black blood trickled from the wound. Gabriel took a step back, crossing himself as he waited for the count to fall. "_Requiescat in pace._"

Dracula screamed died down, his dark-blue eyes looked up at Gabriel's face…and he _smiled_. "Hello, Gabriel," he said, almost pleasantly.

Something stirred inside the hunter's mind. That name…Gabriel…something about it seemed so familiar…but why did Dracula use it as though they had been close, personal acquaintances instead of only having heard of each other?

He quickly shook those thoughts off, though, and concentrated on the more important matter: that Dracula had just survived a stake through the heart-which as a guaranteed way to _kill _vampires.

Dracula grasped the stake and pulled it out of his chest with a groan. Once the stake was free from his chest, the gaping wound healed over. Within seconds, it looked as though he had never even been staked. He coolly observed the weapon.

"Is this your silver stake?" he asked, before carelessly tossing it aside. It landed with a loud _crash _on the floor, and Dracula observed Gabriel with interest. "How long has it been…three, four hundred years?"

Gabriel didn't respond. He had no earthly idea what Dracula's question meant. Dracula loosened the black cloak around his neck, then tugged it off and cast it aside, taking a step towards Gabriel. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Exactly what is it I should be remembering?" Gabriel asked, voicing his thoughts as he took a step back.

"You are the great Van Helsing! Trained by monks and mullahs from Tibet to Istanbul! Protected by Rome herself!" The count yanked off the gloves covering his hands and let them softly drop to the floor. "But…like me…hunted by all others."

"The Knights of the Holy Order know all about you. It's no surprise you know about me."

Dracula took a large step forward, and Gabriel backed off, realizing the count was toying with him like a cat toying with a trapped mouse. "Yes, but it's much more than this!" He chuckled softly, then, his voice softened. "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, Gabriel…we have such _history_, you and I…"

He turned his back to the hunter. "Have you ever wondered why you have such…_horrible_ nightmares? _Horrific _scenes of ancient battles past..?"

Gabriel's natural curiosity was perked. He had questions…and Dracula seemed to have the answers. But…how? "How do you know me?"

---

Alexis sprinted up the dark staircase, heading in the same direction Anna had gone…or so she thought. Her side seared with pain, and her breath was coming in short gasps, but still, she kept going. She was getting close to something…she could hear voices…and noise, lots of noise.

_"We must not lose the master's progeny!!"_ a man screamed.

Alexis saw light up ahead. She stopped and found a large laboratory below her, crawling with Dwergi and packed full of various strange-looking machines that were whirring away.

And there was Anna…scaling a rope up towards the top of the laboratory. The rope was nowhere near the edge of the balcony, and Alexis shivered as her mind pondered what would happen if she jumped for the rope and _missed _it…

That's when she noticed the hole in the wall, not too far from where she stood. Outside, she could see what appeared to be stairs wrapping around the exterior of the castle.

She cautiously edged out onto the balcony and began inching towards to the hole, silently praying to God that Dracula's servants wouldn't catch her. She kept her back pressed against the rough stone wall the whole time, keeping as far into the shadows as she could.

Thankfully, none of Dracula's servants noticed the young woman, and she made it all the way to the hole, then out the hole. She began to climb the stairs, clinging tightly to the stones of the wall to avoid a nasty fall, letting the sounds of a human's scream of torment guide her.

---

"So…" Dracula said. "Would you like me to refresh your memory a little? A few details from your sordid pasts?"

Unseen by Dracula, Gabriel slid a silver crucifix from his coat, then, he held it before the vampire. Dracula grabbed it, and it suddenly combusted, causing Dracula to scream loudly and Gabriel to let go of it. After a moment, the vampire dropped the crucifix, now little more than a melted, twisted mass of silver, and gradually let his screams die down. "Perhaps that is a conversation for another time."

Gabriel's eyes widened slightly in surprise and a bit of panic. _Oh, hellfire, _he cursed in his mind.

"Allow me to…re-introduce myself. I am Count…Vladislaus…Dragulia…" He gave a regal, exaggerated bow. "Born 1422. _Murdered_...1462."

Dracula was now ready to come in for the kill…but then, salvation came to the hunter in the form of the wails of two anguished females…Dracula's brides. Dracula turned away, and Gabriel sprang into action. He darted into a nearby dumbwaiter, sliced through a rope with his tojo blade, and was off.

---

Alexis emerged on the roof of the tower and found Anna standing over a pod. Her voice was barely audible over the storm and the machines. "Velkan…stop…Velkan, it's all right, I'm taking you home!"

A hand shot out and covered Anna's mouth…a hand sprouting course, dark fur and razor-sharp claws. A moment passed, and Anna pulled away, sliding down a railing on a set of stairs for a quick escape. Gabriel suddenly emerged on the roof, colliding with Anna.

"I think we've overstayed our welcome!" he said. He pulled Anna over to the edge of the roof, where Alexis was standing, then pulled out a large, shiny gun and fired it. A grappling hook shot out, easily crossing the vast river that separated Castle Frankenstein from safety. He attached it to a nearby piece of equipment, then, grabbed the line with one hand. With the other, he pulled Alexis and Anna close to him. To Alexis's surprise-and a surprising amount of her delight-she found herself pressed tightly against Gabriel's side, close enough to inhale the rich, musky scent of him…

Then, they were flying. No…they were _falling_, swinging wildly. Behind them, the werewolf Velkan had become roared angrily as he plummeted into the river.

Gabriel came down rather roughly on the ground, causing him to fall over and take Anna and Alexis to the ground with him. A moment later, however, all three were back on their feet and sprinting away from Castle Frankenstein.

---

Dracula perched on the edge of the roof, glaring off into the forest while seething on the inside. Behind him, Aleera and Verona wailed mournfully over their deceased children.

His children were dead…the experiment had failed yet again…and the hunter, the princess, and that mysterious young woman had managed to escape…his anger burned even more.

Igor nervously shuffled up behind Dracula, the scent of his fear pungent. He was scared…and with good reason. "I am sorry, Master…we try, and we try, but I fear we…we are not so smart as the good doctor."

"Truly…" Dracula conceded. "It would appear that the good doctor took the key to life to his grave…"

Just then, Velkan leapt up onto the ledge, far more agile than he looked. His fur was still soaked from his plunge into the river, and he took a moment to shake himself dry.

Dracula cast a glance at the werewolf to acknowledge his presence. "Hunt them down," he ordered darkly. "Kill them all."

_Stop! It's crazy-rambling time!_

_Yeah, I altered a small part of Dracula's conversation...I added that one line because, when you think about it, Dracula and Van Helsing do weave a tangled web...though I still stand strong in my belief that **they were not lovers in the past!!! **And...well, I know in the movie, Dracula says the line "we have such history, you and I, Gabriel" rather loudly...but if you watch the trailer(which can be found under "special features" on the DVD), he actually says that line rather softly. In all honesty...I like that better that way. Hence, he says it softly in the fanfic._

_Anyways...thanks for reading...review if you so desire!_


	9. Of Paintings and Prophecies

_**A/N: **Hi! I'm ba-ack! I'm staying up late tonight to post another chapter of Angel of God(of course, not like it matters, I don't have school tomorow!). Hope you all enjoy...it's a little shorter than usual, but this was a short scene in the movie. As always, thanks to **musiclover209, Kairi's-twin, **and good old **Dr. Lust **for their reviews!!!_

_**Disclaimer: **As stated previously, I don't own this movie. I own Alexis, and that's about it!_

Chapter Nine: Of Paintings and Prophecies

Rain poured from the sky, soaking Anna to the bone as she followed Gabriel and Alexis across the clearing.

She clenched her fists tightly as turmoiled emotions swirled through her. She was angry…she wanted to cause Dracula the same kind of pain he had caused her…yes, revenge…revenge against Dracula, vengeance her family greatly deserved.

And yet…at the same time, she was overcome by great sadness. For all intents and purposes, Velkan was dead, consumed by the darkness that was the werewolf curse. It was all that Anna could do not to collapse right there and sob for her brother's fate. A few stray tears trickled down her rain-soaked face.

She glanced over at Gabriel. His expression was stoic as always, betraying no hint of what he was feeling or thinking. His seeming lack of caring infuriated Anna even more.

_How can he be so damned calm? _She silently seethed, her anger burning. _Has he no heart? His promise to "save my brother" has gone straight to the Hellmouth, and he seems so calm, so uncaring!_

"A silver stake?" she hissed at him as they approached the moldering ruins of a windmill that had burnt down about a year ago. She needed to vent her anger, and, seeing as she was angry at Gabriel, any chance she had to vent at him, she would take. "A _crucifix? _What, did you think we hadn't tried anything already?! We've shot him! Stabbed him! Clubbed him! Sprayed him with holy water and staked him through the heart and still he lives; do you not understand?!" She planted her hands on Gabriel's chest and gave him a hard shove, causing him to stumble slightly on the uneven boards of the windmill's floor. "_No one _knows how to kill Dracula."

Gabriel smirked sarcastically. "I could have used _that_ information a little earlier…"

"Oh, don't give me that look," she sighed in exasperation, turning away from him. She could feel his eyes on her back. "I don't need your wolf's eyes undressing me…"

She realized what she had just said, and she glanced over her shoulder. Gabriel was still smirking at her, and Alexis had a slightly surprised, slightly amused look on her face at Anna's slightly risqué comment.

"At least…not right now," she amended. She then turned away again, staring out through the charred ruins of the windmill, out onto the bleak moor. Behind her, she heard crates rattling as Gabriel pawed through them to inspect their contents.

"You were right," she admitted in defeat. She turned to face Gabriel, who was holding a corked, undamaged bottle of absinthe in one hand. "I'm sorry. He's not my brother anymore…"

Now the hunter and the princess were close, their bodies less than six inches apart. Rain fell steadily around them, soaking Anna's dark curls. Gabriel removed his hat, placed it on Anna's head, and gave a small smile. The hat was very becoming on Anna, at least in his opinion.

"Do you have any family, Mr. Van Helsing?" Anna asked.

Gabriel shrugged. "I'm…not sure. I hope to find out someday…it's what keeps me going…"

"The same goes for me," Alexis commented as she moved to stand beside Gabriel, pushing her wet hair out of her face. "The only family I knew was taken from me when I was a small child. I only hope to find more of my family. It's what keeps _me_ going…"

"Well, then…" Anna said, plucking the bottle from Gabriel's hand and uncorking it. "Here's to what keeps you both going."

"Absinthe. Strong stuff."

Anna only gave him a sly smile and gulped down a large swig of absinthe, enjoying the delicious fire it sent through her being. Then, she passed the bottle over to Alexis. Alexis had never had absinthe before, only mead, so she imitated Anna and gulped a huge swig. She was surprised by how strong it was, and she nearly sprayed out half her mouthful. She managed to swallow it, however; she felt it burn all the way down to her stomach. She wiped a few residual drops from her lips on her sleeve, then passed the bottle to Gabriel. "Don't let it touch your tongue…" she warned.

Anna smirked again. "Oh, yes, don't…it'll knock you on your a-"

The floor beneath them creaked loudly, then, the boards gave way underneath their feet. With yells, Anna, Gabriel, and Alexis plummeted down to the dark recesses of a cavernous room under the windmill.

Something hard met Alexis's back, sending a searing pain up and down her spine. Her head met something hard, too, sending black stars dancing before her eyes. She heard a splash, as well as a loud, pained gasp, before her world faded to black.

---

Carl shifted slightly, mumbling in his sleep. "Vampires…vampires…" Suddenly, with no warning, he sat bolt upright. "_Vampires!!!_"

A hand came down on his shoulder, followed by a soft, feminine moan of pleasure. Carl let out a panicked cry and pulled away from the couch.

As his mind began catching up with the rest of him, he realized he was in no danger…quite the contrary. He was in the tower of Manor Valerious. Light poured in through the windows, signaling that night had ended long ago. On the small couch Carl had just vacated was the barmaid from Vaseria, clad only in her skimpy linen underclothes. A blanket was wrapped around her semi-nude form to shield her from the cold. She ran a hand through her tousled hair, then gave another sleepy, contented sigh of pleasure. A few memories of the previous night came back to him…apparently, last night wasn't as bad as he _thought_ it was…

"Ah…now, I remember," he commented. Grinning contentedly, he leaned against a wall nearby. However, his hand hit some sort of hidden catch, unlatching it. The wall behind him spun away, revealing a painting.

Carl leaned in closer to inspect and admire the painting. It was as intricate as the map in the armory downstairs, depicting two knights in full battle armor fighting in a battlefield. In the background, large, craggy mountains and a gothic castle could be seen, the castle's largest tower holding a large clock that was poised to strike midnight. Latin writing circled the painting, and Carl leaned in to translate it. It was a poem, or a prophecy of sorts…

_"Even a man who is pure in heart…and says his prayers by night…may become a wolf, when the __wolf bane blooms…__and the moon is shining bright…" _Carl translated aloud. _"Or crave another's blood when the sun goes down, and his body takes to flight…"_

In the painting, the clock struck midnight, and distantly, bells tolled. Slowly at first, but gaining speed every second he watched, the two painted came to life, swinging their swords at each other. Their swords came together again and again as they battled. The full moon peeked out from behind the clouds…

Both knights suddenly ripped their armor off, revealing a vicious werewolf and a fierce hell-bat similar to Dracula's brides…a vampire. The creatures came together, locked in an epic battle that would last until Judgment Day if necessary…

Carl backed away from the animated painting in fear. However, he didn't look where he was going, and he collided with the couch. He crashed onto it, and his sudden impact toppled the couch, now-awake barmaid and all. The infuriated wench then proceeded to slap Carl across the face, gather her clothes in a huff, and storm from the tower, cursing in Romanian.

"What did I do?" Carl called out to her retreating back.

_**A/N: **All right...I just HAVE to say this: _**_Legasp! Carl got laid! OMG, no way!_**

_There...now that's out of my system...anyways...I hope you guys liked. Personally, I've always loved that poem that was written around the painting. I don't know why...it just seems so mysterious._

_Oh, and what did you think of Anna's risque little comment to Van Helsing(about his(coughs) wolf's eyes...undressing her...ya know)? I didn't make that up...in fact, as a little contest (yeah, yeah, I know..."Argh, no more contests Aurora, your prizes suck! You don't give us anything"...well, guess what? If you don't wanna do the contest, don't do it), I'd like you to tell me where I did get that little comment! The first person with the correct answer will get...something! Um...I'll have to think of it first! (goes to think about it). Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Review, please! _


	10. Risky Business

_**A/N: **Woot! Two chapters in...well, almost one day! I was posted close enough to midnight that it was like posting two in one day...um, I think...anyways, um, the answer to my little contest from last time is: I got the line about Van Helsing's "wolf's eyes" from the novelization. Both **musiclover209 **and **Kairi's-twin **gave me correct answers, so they get..um, they get huggles! Anyways...thanks to them, as well as to my bestest buddy **Dr. Lust **and a new reviewer, **Aviarianna O Lorien **for the reviews! Thanks; you guys are the best!_

_**Disclaimer: **Nope, I still don't own Van Helsing...believe me, you'd know if I did._

Chapter Ten: Risky Business

The first thing Alexis felt was someone's hands on her shoulders, shaking her gently. A voice gently called to her. "Alexis…Alexis…wake up…"

The darkness began to fade, and Alexis opened her eyes to find Gabriel kneeling next to her, a hand on her shoulder. He looked at her with concern. "Are you all right?"

She could feel her heart speeding up as she looked back at him. Blood rushed to her face, coloring her cheeks. She hadn't been this close to him since they had been at the bar together, close enough to see those beautiful eyes of his. She sat up slowly, Gabriel taking her hand to help her up. "I'm fine…I just hit my head on something…"

"I'll say you hit your head on something…" he commented softly, brushing his fingers over a spot on her forehead. The tips of his gloves were stained with something red when he brought his hand away.

Alexis brushed her fingers across her forehead, fingering a gash that had probably happened when she hit her head. There was a little fresh blood on it, but most of the blood had already dried. She swiped at her forehead with the sleeve of her jacket, wiping the blood on her sleeve.

A loud groan came from nearby, along with the sounds of someone moving nearby as Anna regained consciousness. Gabriel was at her side in an instant, clapping a hand over her mouth.

"Nothing personal…" he murmured. "There's something down here…"

Anna nodded and drew her rapier. Alexis drew the dagger she'd taken from Manor Valerious, clutching it tightly in her right hand.

"It's carnivorous," Gabriel said acknowledging a large pile of rat bones that had been picked clean. He then picked up an old, well-worn Bible. "And whatever it is, it appears to be…human…"

Alexis noticed large footprints leading away from the rat bones and the Bible. She pointed them out to Gabriel, who nodded, then moved to examine them.

"I'd say it's a size seventeen," he said. "About…360 pounds…eight and a half to nine feet tall; he has a bad gimp in his right leg and…three…copper…teeth…"

Gabriel's hand went to his right hip, where his revolver was holstered. His eyes were fixed on a point slightly above Anna's head.

"How do you know it has three copper teeth?" Anna asked suspiciously.

"Because it's standing right behind you…_MOVE!!!_"

Gabriel yanked his revolver out and pointed it at something large and shadowy behind Anna. Alexis yanked Anna aside, rather roughly, causing them both to topple to the ground, and the…_thing_… sent Gabriel's revolver flying with a single swipe of its hand. It picked Gabriel up and tossed him into a nearby puddle of deep, stagnant water, then rounded on the two women, the hood of its cloak falling away.

The creature had skin that was pale blue in color, and looked like it had been sewn together by a child in several places. It was completely bald, and it did indeed have three copper teeth. Anna gasped and began to back away. "Oh, my God…it's the Frankenstein's monster!"

"_Monster?!_" the creature shouted indignantly, approaching Anna before grabbing her and lifting her from the ground. "Who's the monster here? I have nothing wrong, and yet you and your kind all wish me dead!"

Suddenly, Gabriel attacked the creature from behind, slamming him into a rocky wall as soon as Anna as out of his grasp. The skin of the creature's head actually pulled apart, revealing intricate machinery underneath the skin. Gabriel stared at it in surprise, and Alexis actually gave a small scream of fear and shock. Gabriel's hands met the creature's chest as the creature attempted to put his head back together, and electricity surged through Gabriel's body…at least until the creature threw him back into the water. Blinking as black stars danced before his eyes, he watched as the creature approached Alexis, who had caught his attention when she screamed.

"Wait! What do you want?!" Alexis screamed in desperation, cowering as the creature approached her, looking threatening.

He stopped dead in his tracks. "To exist…" he said mournfully.

Suddenly, three darts hit his back, causing him to howl in agony. Gabriel fired three more darts, then stuck his blowgun back into his coat. The creature fell to his knees, but, amazingly, he was still conscious. Anna grabbed Gabriel's revolver, the one that had gone flying, but Gabriel grabbed her wrist to keep her from firing. "No!"

"We must kill it!" Anna argued.

"Wait…"

"If you value your lives…and the lives of your kind…" the creature panted, "you _will_ kill me!"

Anna pointed the revolver at him again, but again Gabriel stopped her from pulling the trigger. The creature still had more to say.

"I…am the key…to my father's machine…" he panted, fighting against the unconsciousness-inducing serum of the darts. "The key to life…life…for Dracula's children…"

Gabriel released Anna's wrist so he could step closer to the creature. "He already awakened them last night-"

The creature gave a weak chuckle. "Those…were from only…one…bride. From one…single birthing. And they died as they did the last time he tried! Only…with me…can he give them…lasting life…"

"There are _more_? More of those…_things_?" Alexis asked, her voice full of fearful surprise.

"Thousands…thousands more…" He collapsed face-first, giving one last labored breath before his breathing became lighter but steadier. Gabriel stayed where he was-kneeling at the creature's side-thinking through what he had just heard. _More children? _He thought. _And he is the key to their life…which means if Dracula gets a hold of him…all hope will be lost…_

Behind him, Anna approached quickly, cocking the revolver to fire it at the creature. Gabriel got to his feet and grabbed her wrist again, stepping between her and the creature.

"You heard what he said!" Anna snapped, clearly agitated. What was he doing? Was he now _defending_ this evil?

"My life…my job…my _curse_…is to vanquish evil. I can…sense evil. This thing…man, whatever it is…evil may have _created_ it, may have left its _mark_ on it…but evil does not _rule_ it. So I cannot kill it."

"I can!"

"Not while I'm here!" Gabriel objected, tightening his grip on her wrist. She glared at him angrily, but he didn't mind…at least they were making eye contact, her angry brown eyes meeting his sympathetic and understanding hazel ones. His tone was softer in his next sentence, "Anna…your family has spent more than four hundred years trying to kill Dracula; maybe this poor creature can help us find a way."

Silence ruled for a minute, then, there was the sound of claws on stones. The musky scent of wet dog filled the cavern. Gabriel turned just in time to catch a glimpse of the werewolf watching them before it turned tail and left, fleeing from Anna, who had fired three shots at it. She lowered the still-smoking weapon, looking shocked.

"Oh, my God. He's seen us…" she said. "Now, they'll come for him…and no one will be able to stop them. Not Alexis…not me…not even you."

"If we can get him to Rome…we can protect him there," Gabriel said. "I have a plan…"

---

Roughly about an hour or so later, Anna brought the carriage to a stop before Valerious Manor, and Gabriel and Alexis emerged from the carriage, leaving the creature-or Frankenstein, as he preferred to be addressed as-chained within. As they headed towards the front door, Carl emerged from within the manor and hurried towards them, his brown robes shaking.

"Van Helsing! Anna! Alexis! Boy, do I have an interesting story for you!" he cried.

"Does it have anything to do with Dracula's children?" Alexis asked.

"Is _that_ what those things were?" Carl asked in surprise. "Well…that would be part of it, but…this has to do with something different…"

Carl caught up with Gabriel, and he turned around, heading back for the carriage. Alexis, who had been the last one out of the carriage, reached it before anyone else did. She stopped in front of one horse and began to gently pet its nose, careful not to impale her hand on the steel spike on the horse's head bridle. She gently stroked the steed, taking a moment for herself and her thoughts.

She had sat next to Gabriel during the entire carriage ride, and her heart had refused to slow its frantic beating the entire time. _Can it be…that I..? _She wondered silently. _I think... that's the only logical explanation…_

"…And then the painting came alive, and the two creatures attacked each other," Carl said as he came around the front of the carriage.

"What does it mean?" Gabriel asked.

"I don't know…"

Gabriel stopped at the carriage door, and Anna joined him, placing a hand on the door's handle. "Now, whatever you do…don't stare at him…" Gabriel cautioned as Anna opened the door, revealing a bound and struggling Frankenstein.

"I'm staring at him…" Carl whimpered.

"Oh, don't feel too bad, Carl," Alexis encouraged, coming up and giving Carl a friendly pat on the shoulder. "I screamed when I saw him…"

"Is that a _man_?" Carl whimpered, shooting Gabriel a panicked look.

"Actually…" Gabriel said, taking Carl by his shoulder and essentially shoving him into the carriage with the struggling and angry Frankenstein, "it's _seven_ men. Well, parts of them, anyways."

"By exposing me, you have condemned me!" Frankenstein howled. "Me and all of humanity-"

His words were cut off as Anna slammed the door, shutting Carl and Frankenstein inside. "Nothing is faster than Transylvanian horses; not even a werewolf. Anything else…you're on your own."

She gave him a grin and playfully slapped his shoulder before turning and leaving. He watched her go with a smirk on his face, then, he turned to Alexis. "Are you ready to go?"

"Almost…" she said. "I…I wish to speak to you about something before we leave…"

"All right. Go ahead."

She looked around apprehensively. "Not right here…I was thinking somewhere a bit more private…"

Alexis grabbed his wrist and led him around to the back of the carriage. There, she sighed nervously and released his wrist. "Van Helsing…I, er…I just wanted to say that…that I've really enjoyed working with you…"

He gave her a kind smile. "I've enjoyed working with you as well, Alexis. I'm amazed at how well you're dealing with such a nightmarish environment…"

Alexis's face flushed with pleasure. "And…well, I'm glad that…that fate had us meet on those snowy roads outside of Budapest..."

Gabriel caught the sound of Anna nearby, calling his name. However, Alexis was still talking, though she kept pausing and stuttering. "But…but I've noticed…something…I've been feeling strange feelings…as of late…"

"Van Helsing? Alexis?" Anna called in the background. "Come on! We must get moving if we want to get into the Carpathians by sundown!"

"Come on, Alexis…we haven't much time," Gabriel gently urged. "What is it you need to tell me?"

Alexis took a deep, nervous breath, then blurted out, "Van Helsing…I'm in love with you!"

_Oh. Wow...well, ladies and gentlemen, the cat is out of the bag for sure! Isn't that sweet, though? Alexis is in love with Van Helsing(and this I don't blame her for...not one bit, seeing as how that would probably happen to me, too)! But...how will Van Helsing react?_

_Well, review and you might find out! Yes, I know, I'm evil, making you wait, but what can I say? As Igor once said: "It's what I do."_

_And a little note: I actually took a line out of the movie trailer at one point: the part where Gabriel says "My life...my job...my curse..." It was in the trailer(which is on the DVD, special features...and don't worry, it lives up to the movie's awesomeness), and I just love the way it sounds! It makes our dark and misunderstood angel(otherwise known as Gabriel Van Helsing) seems even darker and more misunderstood...and I love it!_ _Okay, I'm done with my crazy ramblings now, so, for now, I must leave you...buenos noches, everyone!_


	11. A Heart Closed to Her

_**A/N: **Well...you wanted it...and I know it took me all week to update...but here it is, chapter eleven! Thanks to **Kairi's-twin, Aviarianna O Lorien, musiclover209, **and, my faithful revewer from the beginning **Dr. Lust** for their lovely reviews!_

_**Disclaimer: **Nope, I still don't own Van Helsing...wish I did, though..._

Chapter Eleven: A Heart Closed to Her

Gabriel found himself unable to speak for several minutes. Finally, he managed to at least choke out a few words. "You…I…I beg your pardon..?"

Alexis's face flushed bright pink again. "I…I love you, Van Helsing…I can't help it…ever since that day outside of Budapest, when I met you for the second time…I've loved you…"

Unable to think of anything to say, Gabriel just stared at Alexis in a dumbfounded manner. Nearby, Anna called out again, but strangely, he couldn't make out what she was saying. It was as if the world had shrunk to just his and Alexis, and everything else just…existed.

"Van Helsing? Are you all right?" Alexis asked, waving her hand in front of his face. "Van Helsing..?"

He shook his head to snap out of his trance. "Oh, right…I apologize about that…um…I think we need to talk…"

Alexis began to look a tiny bit worried. Gabriel sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Alexis…you're a remarkable woman…" he said. "You're determined and clever…and you can still love…even though you've lost everything and have every reason to hate the world…"

"But?" Alexis asked, picking up on his hesitation.

_No sense in trying to avoid this…_Gabriel told himself as he prepared to tell her what he had to tell her. _That'll only make it even worse. Best if I just go ahead and tell her…God, I hope I don't hurt her…_

"But…" he said slowly. "I…just don't love you…at least, not the same way you love me…"

Alexis felt as though someone had taken a knife and plunged it into her heart. All her breath seemed to leave her for a moment at the sound of Gabriel's heartbreaking words.

"W-What?" she managed to gasp.

Gabriel sighed sadly. "I'm truly sorry, Alexis…I just don't love you in that way…"

She dropped her gaze, staring at the cobblestones below her feet as tears filled her eyes. "But…but I thought…there was something special…between us…"

"There is…" Gabriel softly assured her. "I've come to think of you like a sister…and as a friend…but…my heart belongs…to another…"

For a long moment, Alexis didn't say anything. She only continued to stare at the ground. Then, she lifted her head to meet Gabriel's eyes. To his surprise, her eyes were filled with tears…and rage.

"So I willingly gave my heart to you, only to find you don't love me back?" she asked in a low voice that trembled with rage. "You tell me you don't love me; you rip my heart to pieces! I thought you loved me…but…you've only betrayed me!"

"Alexis, no…it's not like that…" Gabriel tried to explain. However, Alexis was past the point of listening to reason and explanations. Tears continued to trickle down her face, and her eyes still glittered with rage.

"It's Anna, isn't it? You're in love with her, aren't you?" she seethed, her voice rising slightly. "Fine, then! I see how it is! You know what, Van Helsing? I don't need your help! I can find my family on my own! You and that Gypsy whore can go have a pleasant time defeating Dracula _without me!!!_"

She furiously pushed past a very surprised Gabriel and ran off into the streets, tears streaming down her face. Several startled villagers moved aside when they saw her running towards them; the rest got blindsided by a distraught woman.

"Alexis! Wait!" Gabriel called to her retreating back. "I…I am sorry…"

---

Alexis ran and kept running, until she was in the forest outside of Vaseria. Finally, when she could run no more, she collapsed to her knees at the base of a tree, sobbing violently. Her broken heart thumped in her chest, each thump continuing her sobs.

_Rejection…_she thought as she wrapped her arms around herself and kept sobbing. _A heart closed to mine…as always…Is this how it is to be? I…was always…by your side…so why don't you love me..?_

"W-Why?" she whispered to herself, to the trees, to whoever would listen. "W-Why, V-Van Helsing..? You w-were my g-guardian a-angel…I-I thought w-we could b-be…"

She swiped at a few tears with the sleeve of her jacket. More tears replaced them; suddenly, Alexis opened her mouth and began to sing a soft tune…

_Sparkling angel, I believed  
__You were my savior in my time of need  
__Blinded by faith, I couldn't hear  
__All of the whispers, the warnings so clear  
__I see the angels, I'll lead them to your door  
__There's no escape now, no mercy, no more  
__No remorse 'cause I still remember  
__The smile when you tore me apart_

_You took my heart  
__Deceived me right from the start  
__You showed me dreams  
__I'd wish they'd turn into real  
__You broke your promise and made me realize  
__It was all just a lie_

_Sparkling angel, I couldn't see  
__Your dark intentions, your feelings for me  
__Fallen angel, tell me why?  
__What is the reason, the thorn in your eye?  
__I see the angels, I'll lead them to your door  
__There's no escape now, no mercy, no more  
__No remorse 'cause I still remember  
__The smile when you tore me apart_

_You took my heart  
__Deceived me right from the start  
__You showed me dreams  
__I'd wish they'd turn into real  
__You broke your promise and made me realize  
__It was all just a lie_

_Could have been forever  
__Now we have reached the end…_

A slow, steady clapping interrupted Alexis. It sounded familiar…oh, so familiar…but _why_?

She looked around and found a man, dressed in black from his cape to his boots, approaching her slowly, steadily clapping. His raven hair was pulled away from his pale face, gathered into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. Alexis recognized him immediately and began to shuffle away, attempting to get to her feet and run. "Y-You're Count D-Dracula…"

"Indeed, I am, dear girl," he said as he stopped before her. To her surprise, he actually got down on one knee, so he was at her eye level. His surprisingly strong hand on her shoulder stilled her movements. "I overheard what sounded like an angel's voice as I walked through these woods. I couldn't help but investigate to locate the source. But imagine my surprise that such a sad girl had produced such a beautiful melody…Tell me, why do you cry?"

"It's nothing…" Alexis hiccupped. "Just…heartbreak…rejection…"

Dracula's face was sympathetic, something she wouldn't have expected from a ruthless killer such as him. "Oh, I'm so terribly sorry," he said, lightly tracing her jaw line with his finger in a comforting gesture. "But I wonder…who would reject someone as lovely as you?"

"V-Van H-Helsing…" Even just saying his name hurt. "I-I thought he l-loved me…but i-it turns o-out h-he loves A-Anna V-Valerious…"

Dracula's eyebrows briefly rose in interest, then, his face was sympathetic once again. "That's horrible…and I assume you loved him…"

Alexis gave a shaky nod. "H-He's the s-second man to h-hurt me s-so bad…W-Why do t-they h-hurt _me_? W-What d-did I e-ever do w-wrong?"

The count's hand stopped stroking her jaw, and rested on her cheek. The iciness of his fingertips made her shiver slightly.

"You have done nothing wrong. Your blood is innocent, pure…it is _them_ who have wronged _you_," he said. "Rest now, dear Alexis…rest now. I promise you, I shall find a way to make sure you can never be hurt again…"

_How does he know my name? _She wondered. A warm, dark heaviness began to descend upon her mind. She gave a small yawn, then, her eyes closed and she surrendered to the peace that was sleep.

---

Dracula watched as the girl surrendered to his will and fell asleep. He almost laughed aloud; like all other weak-minded mortals, she had bent to his will so easily it was almost unfair. All he had to do was flatter her a little, then apply his will a little, and she was simply another obedient servant.

He cared not about her pathetic troubles. They were merely the trials and tribulations of a lovesick mortal girl in his opinion. However…it could not be denied that she had provided him with some _intriguing _information.

_So…Gabriel is in love with the princess, is he? _Dracula pondered as he gathered the sleeping girl in his arms. _What an…interesting development…how fortunate I am to have stumbled across this girl…she could be of use…_

"Just you wait, Gabriel," he whispered to the woods around him as he started walking in the direction he had come from. "I'll be watching you…you took something very important from me a long time ago, Gabriel…it only holds fair now I return the favor and take something very important from you…"

_**A/N: **Time for my crazy ramblings! Woot!_

_About the chapter: Yes...Gabriel **doesn't** love Alexis. I'm very sorry to have made him the bad guy in this chapter...and I'm also sorry about insulting Anna and calling her, a, ah "Gypsy whore"...I actually like Anna, and so does Alexis...but it's essential to the plot (trust me, it is!). And now Dracula's involved...what will happen next?_

_Well, keep reading and you'll find out, aduh!_

_Oh, yeah, two things: 1) The following lines: "_Rejection...a heart closed to mine...as always...Is this how it is to be? I was always by your side...So why don't you love me_?" are not mine. They're actually a slight re-wording of something said by Yuki Cross in volume one of Vampire Knight (my favorite vampire drama manga)...I only reworded them slightly so they'd fit the plot..._

_2) I also don't own the song Alexis was singing! In fact...as my next contest, I'd like you to tell me who does_ _Tell me the song and the band who sings it and I shall dedicate a chapter to you! There...I finally got a decent prize...PS: A little hint...the band is listed on my bio page under my favorite bands!_


	12. A Ride From Hell

_**A/N: **Hello! All right, sadly, no one knew the answer to the last question I put up(what is the name of the song Alexis sings in chapter 11, and who is the band that does the song?), so I'll give you all the answer! The answer is she is singing **"Angels"** by **Within Temptation**(from their "Silent Force" album)...but sadly, no one could guess, so this chapter is not dedicated to any one particular person..._

_However, I would like to say thanks to my great and wonderful reviewers: **Aviarianna O Lorien, Kairi's-twin, **and my two great friends **musiclover209 **and **Dr. Lust**. Thanks for your reviews, guys, you're great! Anyways...enjoy this chapter!_

_**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Van Helsing, sadly...I have the book, the DVD, and the soundtrack, but not the rights...(goes to cry)_

Chapter Twelve: A Ride From Hell

As the horses charged through the forest, Gabriel glanced around in every direction, surveying his surroundings for any threats. However, his mind was distracted; it swam with guilt as it replayed what happened with Alexis again and again.

That had been over a day ago. Gabriel was worried…last he had seen of her, she had been running away, into the streets of Vaseria…heading towards the forest. His worry seemed to grow…what if she had encountered a werewolf? Or, what if she had encountered something worse..?

Suddenly, something gave a loud screech behind him. He looked over his shoulder…just in time to see Aleera swooping towards him. Her sharp talons seized him by his shoulders and lifted him from the carriage. His crossbow slipped from his grip, landing somewhere on the forest floor.

He yanked at one of Aleera's bat-like wings, throwing her off-balance, so to speak. She dropped him, and he landed-not in the driver's seat, but on the lead horse's back. He looked ahead and saw a huge, gaping canyon about a mile or so down the trail…and the bridge spanning it was gone.

Gabriel carefully got to his feet, balancing precariously on the horse's back, and he jumped…to the next horse…to the next horse…and, with one more jump, he was clinging to the rail in front of the driver's seat…

But the brides had other plans. Verona swooped, and, with one swipe of her taloned hand, she knocked Gabriel backwards, into the harnesses that connected the horses.

The canyon was rapidly approaching. Undaunted, the horses kept running, straight to the end of the bridge. Then, with a tremendous leap, they soared _across _the vast chasm.

For a moment, Gabriel was weightless, suspended in the air above the canyon, flying with the horses. Then, he came down on the lead horse's back again, on the other side. Behind him, there was a loud smashing; he looked over his shoulder to see the carriage smash into the end of the bridge. The harness holding the coach to the horse team snapped, and the coach began to plunge into the vast abyss.

---

Aleera and Verona shrieked in horror as they watched the carriage plummet. Without the carriage-no, without the creature _within _the carriage-there was no hope for bringing their children to life. They both went into controlled, head-first dives, swooping down upon the carriage like hawks swooping down upon helpless mice.

_"We must not let the creature be destroyed!!!" _Verona howled.

They reached the carriage, and Verona sunk the claws of her feet into its door, slowing its descent slightly. Aleera, however, only managed to feebly clutch at one of the wheels. The wind swirled in gusts around her, threatening to blow her away.

"Save him!" she cried as she began to lose her grip on the coach. "Save the monster!"

She lost her grip then, and soared high up into the air. From high above, she watched as Verona ripped the door from the carriage, then released her grip on the carriage, hissing and soaring upwards with a panicked look on her face.

The carriage hit the bottom of the chasm, and exploded into a fiery conflagration, sending stakes flying everywhere. Aleera soared higher, to avoid the stakes, but Verona was not so lucky: Before she could fly to safety, three stakes hit her from behind, cleanly puncturing her chest. Her flight ceased, and she began to fall back into the fire, disintegrating as she did.

She was nothing more than ashes before she even hit the bottom of the chasm.

---

Up until this point, Anna had spent the entire trip worrying as she drove the coach that Frankenstein-along with Carl-was _really_ in. What if the brides didn't fall for Gabriel's decoy carriage? What if they came after her instead? What would happen if they captured the Frankenstein's monster?

_Or…what happens if they fall for the decoy but they kill Van Helsing..? _The bile of fear rose in Anna's throat at that thought.

However, her worries seemed to vanish when Gabriel drove his team of horses, minus the carriage, up beside her. He skillfully jumped, managing to catch hold of the side of the coach and pull himself up into the driver's seat alongside Anna. He flashed her a confident little smile, one that told her the plan had worked, and her heart missed a beat. However, she pushed aside this strange feeling-was it love?-and returned his smile with a small one of her own…

A loud snarl disturbed their somewhat-intimate moment. Velkan-or rather, the werewolf he had become- was bounding towards the coach, murder in his eyes. With one single bound, he leapt over the team of horses, growling fiercely as he flew straight towards Gabriel and Anna…

At the last moment, both dodged the werewolf by leaping out of the driver's seat. Now, she was clinging to the side of the coach for dear life as the horses raced along the edge of another vast chasm. She held on to the coach tightly and beat on the door, yelling for Carl. Above her, the roof of the carriage burst into flames, the effect of the werewolf shattering the lanterns when he hit the coach. Carl threw the door open and gasped when he found himself staring into the huge ravine.

"What are you doing out here?" he squealed.

"Carl!"

"Oh, right, right!" he said, grabbing her arm. "Hang on!"

Across the carriage, someone pounded on the other door. "Carl!" Gabriel yelled from the other side.

Carl cast a panicked look at the door, then back at Anna, clearly torn between saving the princess, who was in danger or plunging into the seemingly-bottomless abyss, and saving his friend, the hunter, who was also clearly in danger.

"I can help!" Frankenstein pleaded.

"And you won't kill me?!" Carl whimpered.

Frankenstein yanked at the chains binding him. "Only if you don't hurry!"

---

Gabriel grimaced as he heard whatever he had grabbed snap, bringing him another inch or so closer to what was sure to be a quick-not to mention _very _painful-death.

Just then, whatever he had grabbed snapped completely. The coach's rear wheel was racing towards him…at least, until someone grabbed him by his coat's collar. He looked up and saw Frankenstein was the one who had saved him from his impending death. Frankenstein then dragged him up, so that his back was no longer scraping the ground, and tossed him back into the driver's seat. It was a clumsy landing, but he was safe, at least. A moment later, Anna swung up beside him, and both gave relieved sighs.

A moment later, a roar cut through the air, followed by a scream from inside the carriage. Looking up, Gabriel and Anna saw the werewolf on the back end of the carriage, rising up over the flames like some sort of hell-hound rising from the depths of Hell.

"Jump!" he yelled. Anna leapt off the coach, into the forest surrounding them, and, with a loud crash, Carl and Frankenstein did the same. He drew his revolvers, then jumped, twisting in midair to shoot the werewolf that was flying towards him. A bullet pierced the beast's chest, and it collided with Gabriel, sending them crashing to the forest floor.

There was pain…lots of pain…His back and shoulders hurt from landing, and his chest…why did his chest hurt? Distantly, he could hear what sounded like an explosion as the coach became a hellish inferno, consumed by fire, then, unconsciousness claimed him and he knew no more.

_**A/N: **First off, I have a comment to make...about Gabriel's near-death experience with the coach...(winces) ow...You all have seen the movie, you all know what would have happened if Frankenstein hadn't grabbed him...so all I have to say is ow..._

_Second off, um...yeah, I can't think off anything...I don't have a contest this time...there's nothing to have a contest about for this chapter...so all I really have to say is thanks for reading and please push the magical button and give me a review! Please?_


	13. Disgrace

_**A/N: **Wow...a new chapter in only two days! And it's a pretty long one, too...aren't you guys lucky? As always, lots of thanks and love to **Aviarianna O Lorien, Kairi's-twin, **and my two best friends **musiclover209 **and **Dr. Lust **for their reviews!_

_**Warning: **This chapter is kind of confusing, so let me clear something up: The scenes in italics are memories, and they aren't seperated because they're coming one after the other...almost like a video with clips of different movies...so if you get confused, think of it that. Also, this chapter is slightly more...mature...than the others due to some...content...read at your own risk, people. This story's rated "T" for a reason..._

_**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Van Helsing...sadly, I don't seem to have my own copy at the moment, seeing as my friend has it and I'm not sure when I can get it back from her..._

Chapter Thirteen: Disgrace

_"VERONA!!!"_

It was a scream, a man's scream. It was full of anger, and of pain…and yet, it still seemed strangely emotionless, strangely hollow.

Alexis's mind stirred sluggishly, the scream bringing her back to her senses. She realized how cold she was…memories began to come back to her…she winced slightly as she remembered her harsh words about Anna…but the thought of Gabriel's rejection ripped her heart open again…She opened her eyes.

She was lying in what appeared to be a coffin made of stone, staring up at the cavernous ceiling above her. There, she could see Dracula, hanging upside down. He was pacing back and forth angrily, defying gravity as he paced, muttering far too softly for her to hear. She sat up slowly, and her muscles, stiff from sleeping in the stone coffin, cried out in protest. She gave a groan, and Dracula looked up-well, actually, _down_- at her. A moment later, he was plummeting, coming to a graceful landing beside the coffin. With a graceful, cat-like move, he perched on the edge of the coffin, gently cupping her chin in one icy hand.

"Did you sleep well?" he purred.

"I…I guess so, yes…" she stammered. "Where…where am I?"

"My home, dear girl…Castle Dracula."

_Castle Dracula? _Alexis wondered. _That's…that's the place Anna's family has been looking for! Oh my God…I'm in Dracula's lair!_

"There's no need to fear, my dear girl…" Dracula said, his voice sounding gentle. "I'm not going to hurt you. Didn't I promise that I would make sure you could never be hurt again..?"

She gave a small nod, and Dracula leaned in even closer. Giving no warning, he gently brushed his lips against hers. She shuddered slightly…like his hands, his lips were as cold as death…

His lips met hers again; the hand that wasn't cupping her face gently slid around and rested on her back. His lips moved lower, down to her jaw, then over her jaw and down to her neck. She sighed…as much as her heart still cried out for the hunter, she couldn't deny that Dracula was not a horrible kisser…

She cried out as something sharp pierced her neck, right where Dracula's lips were…he was biting her! Blood, warm and wet, began to ooze from the wound, trickling down her neck. Dracula gave a twitch of unparalleled excitement and began to drink; his soft touch was gone, he was now holding her so tight she could barely move, greedily lapping at her precious lifeblood. An agonized scream tore itself from her lips, growing softer as Dracula continued to take his fill…

Dracula's fangs slid gently from her neck. She blinked fitfully, feeling weak and tired, the bite wound sending out a dull, throbbing ache with every heartbeat. She didn't have the energy to scream anymore, but she did let out a long, low whimper. "What…what are you d-doing..?"

"Fulfilling my promise…" he said as he produced a dagger from within his cloak. There was a flash of steel, a spurt of dark crimson, and then, Dracula held his wrist out to Alexis. He had cleanly slit his wrist, and she could see blood, a dark crimson color, welling up at the wound. "Now drink…drink from me and live forever…"

Alexis hesitated, and a moment later, Dracula forced his bleeding wrist to her lips. "I said _drink!_" he barked harshly.

She took his wrist and hesitantly began to drink. At first, she drank slowly, but, as the blood refreshed her, she started drinking faster, almost greedily. After a moment, Dracula pulled his wrist away; it quickly healed over, leaving only a little red scar across his wrist.

Alexis doubled over, screaming in agony. She felt as though someone had stuck a lit torch straight into her organs. Blurred images began to race past in her mind's eye, occasionally stopping long enough to give her a closer look…

_A young, black-haired boy stood near the window of the castle, watching as a man clad in full battle armor kissed a pretty, fair-haired woman goodbye. The boy was none other than Count Dracula, but he was not the man-and vampire-he was today. He was only a young lad, known to the residents of Transylvania as Prince Vladislaus Valerious, watching as his father, the king, prepared to head off to battle against the Turks…_

Alexis's body convulsed violently. She coughed, and a small spurt of blood spattered across the bottom of the coffin. There was so much pain…she wished so badly for it to end…why couldn't she just die..?

_She opened her eyes to find herself in a dimly-lit room. The last thing she could remember was running down an alley, trying to escape whoever had been chasing her…A sharp, searing pain ripped her back open; the floor beneath her was spattered with drops of her lifeblood…_

_Dracula sat astride a magnificent war horse, clad in full battle armor despite the searing heat of the battlefield. Beside him, his father sat; both watched as their armies decimated the small Turkish force that had been protecting the city…A cheer went up in the crowd of soldiers. Moments later, a soldier rode up, flanked by at least a dozen other soldiers. He stopped before the king and the prince, then removed his helmet. His thick, dark-brown locks were matted from wearing a helmet so long, __but his hazel eyes sparkled with excitement._

_"The city has fallen to us, my lords!" he exclaimed. "It is ours!"_

_The old king nodded in satisfaction, and Dracula could feel a smile splitting his face_. _No doubt that this man-and enigmatic but very skilled knight by the name of Gabriel de Flynn-had something to do with the city's fall. He was truly one of the best knights they had ever recruited…_

Another agonized scream tore from Alexis's lips, and she began to dig her fingers into the coffin's bottom, bloodying her nails. If only that could distract her from the pain within…her organs were on fire…her teeth were pulled out by their very roots…

_Alexis's mother fell to the ground, dead. The wound at her throat glistened wetly, blood-red against the pure-white snow. There was a man standing of her, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes glowing icy blue. __He sniffed disdainfully at her mother's corpse and stepped over it…_

_Dracula looked around in confusion as Gabriel led him deeper into the forest. The knight had a distressed look on his face, and he was fiddling with a dagger at his side. At long last, they stopped. Gabriel faced Dracula; the distressed and sorrowful look on his face distressed the prince. "Gabriel, what's wrong?"_

_"I am so sorry, my dear friend…" Gabriel's hazel eyes, more brown than green today, began to glow an eerie silvery-blue. A strange wind seemed to come up out of nowhere, whipping Gabriel's hair around. He wasn't himself anymore…In one move, he unsheathed his dagger and drove it into Dracula's heart. The shocked prince fell to his knees, blood rapidly staining his tunic._

_"Gabriel…my friend…why?"_

_"My Lord has told me to do so, Vladislaus Valerious," he said, speaking in a haunting voice that seemed to echo. Somehow, without even being told, Dracula knew that the knight wasn't speaking of the king when he said "my Lord"…he was speaking of God himself. _

_Gabriel-or, at, least his physical body; his soul currently belonged to another, a higher being, such as an archangel- watched as the prince slowly died, his body collapsing to the forest floor, his face frozen in horror and surprise. __His eyes slowly faded back to their normal color, filling with tears at the sight of his slain friend. He kneeled next to Dracula and removed the dragon-insignia ring from his finger._

_"I am truly sorry…my fallen friend…"_

The pain was starting to subside, but Alexis's body was still heaving and convulsing quite violently. Her heart continued to race in her chest, and her mind provided her with one last image, the worst memory she could ever recall…

_She screamed and pulled away from Mr. Whittmore's son, Jonathan. However, he managed to rip open the bodice of her dress before she could escape. Tears leaked down her face as she attempted to pull her bodice back together, to hide her exposed chest from Jonathan's lustful gaze.__ However, he approached her again and ripped her bodice off easily._

_"Please! Please, no, I beg of you!" she cried, her voice unable to rise above a whisper._

_"Oh, what are you afraid of?" he asked, trying to make his voice low and seductive. "I promise it won't hurt…I think you'll actually _like _it…"_

_He tore her skirt off in one move, leaving her entire body exposed. Greed and lust burned in his eyes, and he didn't hesitate to strip off his clothes and drag Alexis towards his bed. __His lips came down on hers in a rough kiss intended to smother her screams…_

_With no other choice, she was forced to let him take her. Waves of pain, and-to her utmost disgust-pleasure washed over her, and tears poured down her face._

Why did this happen to me? _Her mind cried. _What did I do to deserve this?

_Jonathan's voice came, a harsh whisper in her ear. "See…that wasn't so bad, now was it? In fact…we should see each other more often…"_

"NOOOO!!!" Alexis screeched, sitting bolt upright. Shivers shot up and down her spine at that memory. That had to have been the worst night of her young life…

She felt…different. Stronger…more powerful…she placed a hand over her heart…only to find that she seemed to no longer have a heartbeat. She ran her tongue gently over her teeth, only to find that her canine teeth had grown longer, into fangs.

_I'm…a vampire…_she realized, fingering the bite wound on her neck. _Dracula…he sired me…he is my master, now…isn't he..?_

"Dracula..?" she asked, her voice little more than a whisper. She looked around the vast chamber.

Dracula was gone.

---

Anna came to consciousness slowly, but as soon as she was fully conscious, she was on her feet, looking for the werewolf, for Frankenstein, for Gabriel…for anyone. Light poured through the trees and the leaves, creating dappled patterns on the forest floor. She pushed her way past a bush and saw a man lying on the forest floor nearby, his chest barely rising and falling. At first, she thought it was Gabriel, but it couldn't have been…unlike the hunter, this man was nearly naked, clothed only in a pair of shredded trousers.

"Velkan…" she whispered, hurrying to his side. To her utter dismay, he had taken a bullet-a _silver_ bullet-to the chest, and was right at Death's door.

"Anna…" he whispered. Each word took a great deal of effort to get out. "Forgive me…"

His eyes closed, and he let out one last shaky breath. Prince Velkan Valerious was dead now, leaving Anna as the last of the Valerious. Tears flowed freely down her face as she looked upon her deceased brother.

"I will see you again." She leaned in and gently kissed his forehead. Behind her, she could hear someone crashing through the underbrush. It was Gabriel who staggered out from nearby; he was clutching his coat over his chest oddly.

Anna ignored this; her heartbreak evaporated immediately, replaced by rage. She got to her feet and approached the hunter furiously, allowing anger to guide her actions.

"You killed him!" she howled, grabbing him and forcing him into a tree. "You killed him!"

He grunted as his back hit the tree. "Now you know why they call me a _murderer_."

She opened her mouth to let loose with another torrent of angry words, but she finally noticed how he was clutching his coat, pulling it over his chest as if he was hiding something. She placed her hand over his, and together, they gently opened his coat. On the left side of his chest-right over his heart, in fact-was a large bloody wound. Blood had soaked his shirt, making the wound seem even more gruesome. Anna and Gabriel looked into each other's eyes; hers were filled with horror and shock, his were filled with horror, pain, and a profound sadness. Anna released him and slowly backed away. "Oh, my God…you've been bitten…"

He pulled his coat back over his wound, then gave a small gasp as pain wracked his entire body. He turned away from Anna; she continued to back away, only to take a vicious blow across the face from Aleera, Dracula's last remaining bride. The force of the blow knocked Anna backwards. She hit her head on a large stone, knocking her unconscious.

Gabriel heard a commotion nearby, and turned in time to see Aleera take to the skies, clutching Anna by the ankle. He forgot his pain immediately and took off after the bride, calling Anna's name and following the bride's insane cackling. He broke through the trees, to the edge of a precipice, only to see the bride flying towards the city below, taunting him with her laugh.

"Anna…" he whispered.

"Van Helsing?" Carl called from nearby. The friar, as well as Frankenstein, emerged from the woods, and all three men watched in fear and sadness as Aleera carried Anna off until they were little more than a speck in the sky.

_**A/N: **Alexis is a vampire...Gabriel is a werewolf...Anna's been kidnapped...what else could go wrong? No, wait...don't ask! _

_And I told you this was a long/confusing/slightly more mature chapter, now didn't I?_

_First off...in case you didn't notice, not all of those memories were Alexis's, now were they? Yes, some of them were Dracula's memories...she has his memories because she consumed his blood, in case you didn't know. Also...the memories that were hers...yes, those **were** the worst memories of her life. The first two I've already given in detail in chapters 4 and 5, but the last one...well, that's a new one, isn't it? So yeah...her life sucked...pity that she had to relive those memories while she was experiencing the worst pain in her life..._

_Second off...you may be wondering who this "Gabriel de Flynn" is that I mentioned. Well...that's actually none other than Gabriel Van Helsing, ladies and jellyfish...I mean gentlemen...I gotta stop watching Spongebob so much...**anyways **yes that's Van Helsing...well...actually, not quite. That's a part of his past, which I will go into detail about later on..._

_And finally...I'm not sure if that's the method they used to create vampires in the movie, but that's my preferred method! In fact...the subect of my latest contest...you have one of two choices. You can:  
**A) **Tell me which famous author's vampire-turning style I borrowed, **or  
B) **Tell me where I found the line "Drink from me and live forever"(because it's not mine, people)  
The winner(or winners, in case we have one for each contest) will get the next chapter dedicated to them!_

_Well, I'm going to shut up and go feed my dog now...reviews are welcomed and loved, as always! Thanks for reading!!_


	14. Seething Shadows, Breathing Lies

_**A/N: **O..M...G...I can't believe it, but I got seven-count them, SEVEN-reviews for the last chapter! I was on the brink of crying, I was so happy! So, I'd like to thank **TurkReno-Is-A-HAWTAY, VintageLyre, Gem of the Stars, Kairi's-twin, Aviarianna O Lorien, **and, of course my two best friends, **musiclover209 **and **Dr. Lust **for your reviews! I love you guys, really, I do!_

_Now, about the contest winners...well, there's...(does quick finger-count) five winners! The answers(for those who didn't know) are  
**A) This particular vampire-turning mthod belongs to Anne Rice  
B) I got it from the DVD cover of Interview With the Vampire  
**So...this chapter is dedicated to all five winners(because I never said the **first** person to give me the correct answer was the ultimate winner): This chapter is dedicated to **TurkReno-Is-A-HAWTAY, VintageLyre, Gem of the Stars, Kairi's-twin, and Aviarianna O Lorien!!!**_

_**Disclaimer: **If I owned the rights to Van Helsing, I'd be proclaiming it to the world at the top of my lungs. Seeing as how I don't, however, I have to put this here...grr..._

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Seething Shadows, Breathing Lies

Gabriel, Carl, and Frankenstein all staggered through the streets together, Frankenstein's abnormal height attracting a few curious stares. According to a man they had asked on the outskirts of the city, they had made it to Budapest, Hungary's capital city…although, technically, they were currently in Pest, the highly industrial part of the capital; the more lavish city of Buda, with its palatial estates dating back to the days of the Magyars, was father away, across the vast expanses of the Danube.

A gust of wind suddenly came from nowhere, stirring up the leaves and bits of trash at their feet. Along with the wind came a _whoosh_ing of wings; Gabriel drew his revolver, wincing in pain as he did, and turned to see Aleera perched on a nearby roof. She crouched down, as if she were about to spring, but all she did was click her tongue disapprovingly and shake her finger at him as if he was a naughty child.

"So much trouble to my Master," she scolded. "So much trouble…"

"What do you want?" Gabriel snarled at her.

"The Master commands a trade: The monster-" Frankenstein bared his teeth and growled softly at her. "-For the princess."

"Somewhere public. Lots of people." Frankenstein turned to glare at Gabriel as if he was mental, but the hunter knew what he was doing. "A place where your master will be less inclined to expose his…his _other side._"

The bride took a minute to ponder this, then gave the trio a smile, her eyes lighting up like a child's. "Tomorrow night is All Hallows' Eve. Here in Budapest, there is a _wonderful _masquerade ball…"

Another gust of wind came up, and Aleera ascended into the sky, cackling with glee. She landed on the edge of a nearby bridge, then vanished, calling, "Tomorrow night, Van Helsing! Vilkova Palace!"

Gabriel watched her as she went, then cringed as the bite sent a fresh wave of agony through him. Carl shot him a concerned glance and reached for his coat. "Are you all right?"

"No…" the hunter replied tersely, pushing Carl's hand away. Frankenstein watched them both, suspicion building in his eyes, and, with a loud growl, he lunged forward and forcefully shoved Gabriel. He stumbled backwards from the force of the shove, and his coat slipped open. The holes in his sweater, along with the blood that had stained the grey fabric a darker shade, was there for everyone to see.

Frankenstein took a brief moment to survey the damning evidence that Gabriel was clearly _not _all right. "He has been bitten…bitten by a werewolf!" he declared as Gabriel tugged his vest and coat back over the wound, all the while casting a dark glare at Frankenstein. "Now, you will become that which you have hunted so passionately…"

Gabriel knew what Frankenstein said was true. He _would _become that which he had hunted so passionately come the next full moon. But…he still had time before that happened. And he had a mission to accomplish in the meantime…He reached into his coat and withdrew his blowgun from within.

His eyes met Frankenstein's. "I am sorry."

"May others be as passionate in their hunting of you…" Frankenstein replied. Gabriel opened his blowgun, then brought it to his lips…

---

Alexis wandered the desolate halls of Castle Dracula, searching for any signs that she was not the only inhabitant. She hadn't seen anyone…not even Dracula…since she had been…_turned_.

She stopped before a large window and watched as snow blew past the window, coming down so fast it was impossible to discern the individual snowflakes. She stared, not at the driving snow, but rather at the glass itself, finding she had absolutely no reflection, just like the myths of her childhood had told her. She put a hand to the ice-cold glass and watched, in a strange combination of some mild form of fear and a sick fascination as it didn't fog over at her touch.

_Of course it didn't fog over, you dimwit, _her mind scolded her. _You're a _vampire, _Alexis. You're technically dead. Dead people have no body heat; why should you?_

She began to move again, allowing her fingers to trail over the glass, then, over the stone of the window when the window ended. She could feel every single dip and crack in the stone…all her senses had strengthened greatly.

As she passed a closed door, one that looked no different from the other ones she'd seen, she heard something. It wasn't coming from behind the door…it seemed to be echoing in her head, slow and steady, like someone pounding on a drum.

It was a human heartbeat.

Instantly curious, Alexis placed a hand on the door and slowly pushed it. Instead of resisting, like she expected it to, the door creaked open, and the pounding began sounding louder now…it was closer.

The room beyond the door was clearly meant for human inhabitation. The main feature of the vast room was a large, four-poster bed hung with red drapes and covered with black bedding. Across from the large bed was a vast fireplace, with a fire crackling within to dispel the chill. An exquisitely painted portrait, depicting Dracula surrounded by his three brides, hung above the fireplace. An armoire sat in the corner, but that was really the extent of the furniture in the room. While it seemed to be meant for human occupation, it was clearly more of a prison of sorts than a guest suite. And, like all the other rooms, it had a large window, but, as far as Alexis could tell, the door was the only way in…and the only way out.

The room wasn't empty, though. There was someone there, lying atop the bed. Alexis cautiously approached the bed, and, to her surprise, found that the room's occupant was none other than Anna Valerious. The Gypsy princess was lying there, apparently either asleep or unconscious. She wasn't in the comfiest of sleeping positions; in fact, she appeared to have been unceremoniously dumped on the bed. A small, healing cut marred her cheek, but aside from that, she still looked the same-lovely as ever.

The sight of Anna brought about a bitter feeling…but more than anything, Alexis was curious. What was Anna doing at Castle Dracula…and how did she get there? Hadn't she said that no one knew where Castle Dracula was, or how to get to it?

Footsteps echoed on the stones of the floor outside the chamber, and Alexis glanced around, searching for a place to hide. She wasn't sure if she was allowed in there, but something told her that Dracula would probably severely punish her if he found her in there when she wasn't supposed to be. She hurried to the armoire, opened the doors, and climbed inside, hiding herself between the dresses within. She pulled the doors closed behind her, leaving one open a tiny bit-and not a moment too soon. Dracula waltzed into the room, accompanied by Aleera. He strolled up to Anna's bedside, and looked at her appraisingly.

"I brought her, just as you ordered, Master," Aleera simpered, sticking her lower lip out in a pout. "Will she be staying long?"

"Is that jealously I hear in your voice, love?" Dracula asked coolly, idly running a finger over the cut on Anna's face. "Jealousy is not flattering, particularly on one as pretty as yourself…and especially not when it's directed towards your new 'sister'. I do intend to make her a bride…to replace Marishka, or Verona…seeing as Van Helsing was _kind _enough to _kill _them…"

"_Her? _A _bride? _I thought you brought that girl here and turned her because she was your new bride!" Aleera whined.

"Alexis?" Dracula asked, turning to address his last remaining bride. "You thought I intended to make _Alexis _my newest bride? No, no, no…that foolish child is nothing more than a pawn in my war against Van Helsing."

Aleera's eyebrows rose in surprise. "She is? How?"

"That foolish little girl fell in _love _with him," Dracula sneered in disgust. "Then, she ran off when he broke her heart…he told her that he loved the princess…Very _interesting_, isn't it? Humans…they can be so complicated sometimes…and yet, they are so _easily _manipulated. Take Alexis for example…that lovesick once-mortal brat willingly gave herself over, allowed herself to become a pawn to be used against Van Helsing when the time comes…"

"Oh…you are so clever, My Lord…" Aleera simpered, cozying up to Dracula and running a long fingernail across his shoulder. His arm snaked around her waist, and he rewarded her servile words and seductive behavior with a passionate kiss.

"Indeed, I am," he said. He turned to leave, his arm still around his bride's waist. "Now come…we have a masquerade to prepare for."

The two left the room, and Alexis stepped out from the armoire. Her mind was numb, and Dracula's harsh words rang in her ears…she was nothing more than a lovesick once-mortal brat in his eyes, a pawn to do his bidding.

_Better than becoming his whore, _a part of her mind told her. That fate was reserved for poor Anna alone.

The numbness was wearing off, quickly replacing itself with anger at Dracula. He had lied to her to gain her trust, then put her through the hell of becoming a vampire, simply to use her. Alexis's hands clenched themselves into fists, and a low, soft song escaped her lips…

_Bind my limbs with fear  
__Choke me with tears  
__Won't die for you_

_You've been here before  
__And come back for more  
__Not this time_

_You will never be strong enough  
__You will never be good enough  
__You were never conceived in love  
__You will not rise above_

_Somebody tell me what made us all believe in you  
__I should have known all along it was all a lie  
__I should have know it was all a lie_

Still seething, she stormed out of Anna's room and headed back towards the room she'd first awoken in, which she assumed to be her room.

_Now, I know the truth  
__I'm through fearing you  
__And I am free_

_You will never be strong enough  
__You will never be good enough  
__You were never conceived in love  
__You will not rise above_

_Somebody tell me what made us all believe in you  
__I should have known all along it was all a lie  
__I should have known it was all a lie_

_Somebody tell me what made us all believe in you  
__I should have known all along it was all a lie_

_Somebody tell me what made us all believe in you  
__I should have known  
__I should have known all along it was all a lie  
__I should have known it was all a lie_

She reached her room and slammed the door behind her. Her anger had become rage now, bubbling within her and threatening to boil over. Her nails were digging into her palms, threatening to draw blood.

"So…you think I'm merely a pawn, Dracula?" she hissed. "Well then…you've got another thing coming."

---

Gabriel exited the crypt, pulling the doors shut behind him. After knocking Frankenstein out, they had rented a cart to transport him, throwing a sheet over his unconscious form to draw less attention. Then, they had found costumes for the upcoming masquerade and donned them, shoving their old, dirty clothes into the pack Carl had brought with him. Gabriel now wore an old-fashioned burgundy tunic and black pants, both of which seemed vaguely noble. The outfit also included a long black cloak and a hat, complete with a large feather. Carl, meanwhile, wore the motley colors of a jester's suit, suit, which was complete with curly-toed shoes and a hat adorned with bells.

"Well, they won't find him in here," Gabriel commented.

"I'm sure this is some sort of sin…" Carl whined.

"Don't worry, God will forgive us. We need to find a way to save Anna." Gabriel lifted a nearby stone cross, intending to use it to barricade the door to the crypt. However, the cross was heavier than he thought…he could barely lift it.

"You don't think the hat's a bit much, do you?" Carl inquired, reaching up to fiddle with one of the bells on his hat.

"Carl, help me!"

"Oh, sorry!" he squeaked apologetically, moving to help Gabriel use the cross to block the door. "How many commandments…can we break in…one day?"

They dropped the cross in front of the door, and Gabriel turned, grabbed his hat from a nearby gatepost, and proceeded to head towards the graveyard's exit. Carl shuffled along behind him, chattering away, "Now, according to the books, you won't become a werewolf until the rising of your first full moon…that's two night from now. Even then, you'll still be able to fight Dracula's hold over you until the final stroke of midnight-"

"Sounds like I have nothing to worry about," Gabriel commented sarcastically.

Carl gave a squeak, thinking his friend was being serious. "Oh, my God, you should be terrified!"

Gabriel stopped and shot Carl a look of withering scorn. "Thank you…"

"Oh, sorry. Anyways, we still have forty-eight hours to come up with a solution." Carl stopped and shot a nervous look at the sealed crypt. "Are you sure he can't get out of there?"

He donned his hat, pulling it low over his eyes to lower his chances of being recognized by anyone. "Not without some help from the dead."

* * *

_**A/N: **Who's ready for some crazy ramblings? I know I am!_

_Okay, first things first...uh-oh. Alexis knows the truth now. You know, you'd think Dracula wouldn't be stupid enough to-even if he didn't know she was in the room-blab his plans to his bride. That's a pretty dumb move on his part...especially because Alexis is pissed off, now! Ladies and gents, I can sense the beginning of a bitter rivalry coming on!_

_Second off: Next chapter's the big masquerade! (begins humming "Masquerade" from The Phantom of the Opera) Woo-hoo! That's, like, my favorite part of the movie(after the whole scene in the armory with "oh the hell be damned if I am!", which, sadly, didn't make it into this fanfic, sob!). Now, in the beginning...yes, for those of you who didn't know, Budapest is technically two seperate cities: Buda and Pest. I'm reasonably sure that Pest is more industrial and Buda is more tourist-y and extravagant because that was what was implied in the Underworld novelization(yay for novelizations!) but if I'm wrong, just kindly correct me...remember, I'm just a high-schooler who isn't even in European History...I'm in regular World History...I just know a lot about Europe...Anyways, as I was saying, next chapter's the masquerade!!! Hmm...is it just me, or does Gabriel look extra-sexy in that costume(once you get rid of the hat and mask, or course!)?_

_Finally: I have...another contest for you guys! This one may be a little easier...or it may not be, it all depends on what you know! All right, here we go: What is the name of the song Alexis sings, and what band does the song? First one to tell me the correct answer(or close enough...this one's a little trickier because it's not a very well-known song) will have the next chapter dedicated to them!_

_Hope you all liked it! Please review if you'd be so kind!_


	15. The Monster's Ball

_**A/N: **Hello everybody!!! Well, check it out...a new chapter in only...what, two days? Needless to say, I must have been bored at school...anyways. Sadly, no one could give me the answer to my contest question, so no winner. I'll give you the answer: The song Alexis was singing was called **Lies(Remake) **by **Evanescence**. Now, this was kind of tricky because this isn't really one of their better-known songs._

_All right...oh, yeah, I got a new reviewer! Many thanks to **a rose by any other name 71591, **I'm so glad you like it! And as always, thanks to **Kairi's-twin, Aviarianna O Lorien, Gem of the Stars, **and, of course, **musiclover209 **and **Dr. Lust. **Thank you everyone!!!_

_**Disclaimer: **While I have requested it as my Christmas present, I still don't own the rights to Van Helsing...but there's still time..._

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Chapter Fifteen: The Monster's Ball

Gabriel and Carl stepped through the doors, into the ballroom of Vilkova Palace. The ballroom was alive with light, with music, and with dancing. Mixed in with the men and women in their All Hallows' Eve finery, complete with masks to conceal their identities, were fire-eaters, jugglers, and various other street performers. Overhead, trapeze artists swung through the air, and onstage, a masked orchestra performed an arrangement Gabriel didn't recognize, probably something from some obscure up-and-coming composer.

"I don't see them…Anna _or _Dracula…" Carl murmured. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

Gabriel tore his eyes away from a rather pretty black-haired girl in a red-and-black dress who was dancing nearby and shot Carl a look. Carl's face tinged pink with embarrassment. "Right…ah…look! A balcony! We'll be able to see them up there!"

He shuffled towards the stairs, one of the bells on his hat jingling slightly. Gabriel cast one final look at the black-haired girl, then followed the friar up the stairs, trying to figure out why that girl looked so familiar…

---

Anna was in a dream, floating.

No…she wasn't floating. She was _dancing_. And it wasn't a dream…she was at a masquerade, free from all worries. There were no monsters to slay, no Dracula to hunt…just her, and the man she was dancing with…he was a good man…he was good to her…

A pair of ice-cold lips descended upon hers, kissing fiercely, and Anna came back to reality with a harsh jolt. She wasn't dancing with whom she thought she was dancing with…instead, she found herself in Dracula's arms, with his lips on hers. She squealed loudly, trying to pull free from Dracula's grip of iron. Finally, he broke the kiss and violently dipped Anna in time with the music. "How does it feel to be a puppet on my string?"

"I won't let you trade me, Count," she said.

"I have no intention of trading you. And if I know Van Helsing-which I _do_-he is not planning on making on a trade either." Dracula twirled her out into the middle of the ballroom floor, then dipped her again. "Neither of us has ever settled for half!"

He pulled her back up, so that they were face-to-face again. As far as Anna knew, in the past four centuries, no one in her family had come this close to Dracula and lived to tell the tale. With his long, raven hair, pale skin, and penetrating blue eyes, he was what many young women would consider handsome…oh, but if only they knew the monster that lay beneath! He had ditched his usual all-black attire in favor of a slightly more colorful outfit: a navy-blue suit of a nobleman and a golden cape. Anna also noticed that he had taken the liberty to dress her, too, in a long, bright-red dress cut low across the front and complemented by white gloves and plenty of jewelry.

Dracula then gently spun her, until she was facing away from him. She could feel his chest pressing into her back. "You make my skin crawl…" she said.

His breath came, lukewarm on her neck, instead of icy like his lips. "This is not all…I could do…with your skin…"

---

The view was far better from the balcony. Gabriel could see the entire ballroom from there…but because everyone was masked, he was having a difficult time identifying Anna or Dracula…

Carl pulled on his sleeve and pointed to a couple towards the middle of the floor. "There they are…"

It was then that Gabriel caught sight of the two of them. Dracula was holding Anna from behind, one hand snaking around the base of her neck, whispering words into her ear like a lover would. The beginning embers of jealously, directed towards Dracula, burning within him…it was slowly growing stronger, fueled by the werewolf's venom…

A loud grunt overhead caught his attention. It was the trapeze artists that were flying overhead. His gaze traveled from them, to the fire-eater below on the floor, to Dracula dancing nearby…An idea began to form in his mind. "Carl…I need you to do something…"

"I'm not going to like this, am I?"

---

As the music's tempo picked up, Dracula spun Anna faster, before dipping her again, in front of a large mirror this time. To Anna's horror, hers was the only reflection captured by the reflective surface. The rest of the ballroom appeared to be empty.

"Don't we make a _lovely _couple?" Dracula sneered, bringing her back up again. Over his shoulder, she could see her lone reflection twirling, like a figurine in a jewelry box trapped in a never-ending dance.

"Oh my God…" she breathed.

"I'm looking for a new bride, Anna…" Dracula whispered. "Someone strong…and beautiful…"

Anna's eyes darted about desperately, wondering if anyone around her even noticed what was occurring between her and Dracula. No one seemed to, save for a girl nearby. She was a pretty girl, with raven hair and snow-white skin. Her dress lacked sleeves and straps, despite the chilly weather outside, and consisted of a velvety red bodice and a full, black, silky skirt. From behind her black mask, her bright green eyes observed Anna and Dracula together. Something overhead caught her attention, then, she pulled away from her partner and headed towards the staircase leading to the balcony.

Dracula roughly pulled her into him, so that her chest was crushed against his. "One brief moment of pain…and we can be together forever…"

Anna placed a hand over where his heart should have been, and gave a gasp when she discovered the lack of a familiar pulse of a beating heart. "You have no heartbeat…"

Dracula dipped her again, gently this time, and ran a hand up her stomach, chest, and neck, stopping right near her jugular vein. "Perhaps…it just needs…to be rekindled…"

His eyes became an icy blue, and beneath his lips, his canines lengthened into deadly fangs. Anna closed her eyes, preparing for the bite that would change her life…and be the end of all hope for her family's redemption…

---

Alexis took the steps two at a time, lifting her skirt slightly so as not to tread on the hem. When she reached the top stair, she hurried over to the edge of the balcony, disposing of her simple black mask as she did. She saw Gabriel fall through the air across the ballroom…but he produced one of his tojo blades from nowhere and used it to slice through a tightrope line, turning it into a rope. Meanwhile, on the floor, Dracula, whom had been seconds away from sinking his fangs into Anna's throat, suddenly roared as flames spread across his cape, searing his back. He dropped Anna, and, ignoring the fact that his cloak was still flaming, he seized the fire-eater and tossed him clear across the ballroom. While the count was distracted, Gabriel swung in low, seized Anna around the waist, and swung back to the balcony, landing not too far away from where Alexis was standing. She ducked behind a pillar so she wasn't visible; her advanced hearing could pick up every single noise Gabriel or Anna made.

"Anna…Anna! Wake up!" Gabriel ordered.

There was a grunt and a groan from Anna, then, the entire ballroom below went dead silent…save for _one _voice. "Gabriel…Gabriel…"

Gabriel glanced over the edge of the balcony, only to see that everyone had stopped dancing and cleared a space in the middle of the ballroom, which Dracula was currently occupying.

"Oh, Gabriel…" he said. "Welcome to my summer palace…"

There was a sound of doors opening, and someone cried out in a strange tongue. In another separate balcony, a pale-faced child pointed to the far side of the room. "Master, Master! Look, Master, look!"

Every head in the room turned as Igor stepped through the door, along with a dozen other people, all of whom were bearing a large slab on their shoulders. Chained to the slab was a conscious and howling Frankenstein. Igor's twisted grin spread from ear to ear. "We have him, Master! We have him!"

"_Why you wretched undead!_" Frankenstein screamed. "_I shall have my revenge! Even though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I shall fear no evil! You are nothing damned bones, and damned souls, and shall burn in the flames of Hell!!!_"

As he was carried out of the room, Alexis saw Gabriel bow his head, his expression one of defeat. He had let the Count find Frankenstein. He had failed the monster.

Dracula, however, seemed to be _quite_ pleased. He gave a slight grin as he turned his attention back to the hunter. "Now that everything is…as it should be…ladies and gentlemen…I gave to you…_VAN HELSING!!!!_"

Everyone in the room disposed of their masks, revealing the pale faces and yellowish eyes of a room full of vampires. They roared and hissed as one, their jaws stretching impossibly to reveal lengthening canine teeth. Gabriel grabbed Anna-whom had seized a mace from a nearby set of armor and was ready for a fight- and pulled her out of the ballroom through a small set of double doors. He closed them behind him, and Alexis heard the sounds of a bolt being shot home on the other side…leaving her behind in the ballroom full of enraged-and hungry-vampires.

Dracula suddenly appeared next to her, tightly grabbing her upper arm and leading her towards a nearby stained-glass window. "Come along…my work is done. Time for us to depart…"

He approached the window, and with no hesitation, he threw himself through the window, shattering the glass. He vanished, then, a moment later, a large, heavily-muscled and fierce-looking hell-bat appeared at the window, shrieking impatiently at her. She stepped to the window's ledge, then flung herself out into open space, soaring through the air until she landed on a nearby roof at least fifty feet away from the window. Suddenly, a bright light exploded from all the windows of Vilkova Palace, shattering all the windows. Alexis threw her arm over her eyes to shield them from the intense light. She winced as she felt the heat blasting out with the light, searing her skin like fire…but as quick as it had come, it was gone.

Cautiously, she lowered her arm from her eyes. The harsh light was gone…but her skin still stung like hell. She quickly glanced at them; they were a little red from the light, but the redness was fading, and the pouring rain was cooling her skin.

A large, dark shape passed overhead, closely followed by a smaller one…Dracula and Aleera, both shrieking impatiently at her. She sighed, then leapt from the roof, feeling her body changing as she fell. A moment later, with a sweep of her large, white wings, she took to the skies behind her sire and his one remaining bride.

---

With a splash, Gabriel, Anna, and Carl came down in a flooded alley below the palace. All around them, bones that belonged to living-well, _undead_, actually-vampires, fell like macabre snowflakes.

"Carl, you're a genius!" Gabriel praised.

Carl shivered slightly from the cold water and the chilly rain pouring down from overhead. "A-A genius with a-access to unstable chemicals!"

Just then, Gabriel's extra-sensitive new hearing picked up a shout nearby. He turned and saw the Dwergi paddling a small boat away from the palace. Chained to the pathetic mast was Frankenstein, while Igor stood over him, stroking his head. Igor whispered something in the creature's ear, but Gabriel could hear it as well as if it had been whispered in his own ear: "Say goodbye to your little friends."

He began to swim towards the boat, hoping to God he could catch up to it and attempt to free Frankenstein. But the castle's iron portcullis slammed down, trapping him in the alley before he could reach the boat. He slammed into the unyielding iron, watching Frankenstein's forlorn face shrinking in the distance.

"I'll find you!" he promised. "I'll get you back and set you free, I swear to God!"

In the distance, there came Aleera's maniacal laughter, followed by three large, dark shapes in the sky, silhouetted against the clouds. His heart sunk slightly at the sight of the third shape, slightly smaller than one and a lot smaller than the biggest silhouette. Had Dracula managed to replace a bride so quickly? "I must save him…" he said.

"No, you can't," Carl protested weakly.

"Why not?"

"I cabled Rome earlier, to apprise them of our situation."

"And what did they say?"

"They said that even if you somehow manage to kill Dracula, Rome orders you to destroy Frankenstein as well."

Gabriel was stunned at how quickly Rome had sealed poor Frankenstein's fate. "He isn't evil!"

"Yes, but they say he isn't human, either…" Carl weakly tried to defend.

"Do they know him?" Gabriel snapped, his temper beginning to get out of hand. "Have they talked with him? _Who are they to judge?!_"

"They want you to destroy him so he can never be used to harm humanity…"

"And what of me? Did you tell them what _I'm _to become? Did they tell you how to kill me, too?!" His temper now entirely beyond control, Gabriel lunged forward and seized Carl by the neck. Anna gave a shout and tried to force him to let go, but he ignored her and lifted Carl into the air. "The correct angle of the stake as it enters my heart?! The exact measure of silver in each bullet?! HUH???!"

"No…I left…you out…" Carl choked, his face beginning to turn red from lack of oxygen.

Without warning, all his anger-everything he was feeling within-seemed to boil over, fueled by the werewolf venom. Gabriel released Carl and threw himself against the portcullis, giving a deep and ferocious roar as the wolf inside briefly took over. After a moment, the roar died down as his temper cooled, and he glanced at Anna and Carl, both of whom looked terrified.

"I'm sorry…" he apologized. Carl gave a nervous nod of understanding. Anna only stared at him, concern and worry evident in her brown eyes.

"It's starting…"

* * *

_**A/N: **Uh-oh...boy, is he scary when he's angry! (cowers)_

_Yay! My favorite part of the whole movie(besides the part at the Vatican)-the Masquerade Ball! Makes me want to sing "Masquerade" from PoTO...haha. Yeah...I'm not sure if all vampires can turn into those hell-bat things or if only Dracula and his brides can...so, for all intents and purposes, let's just say they can...oh, and an interesting little fact...I based Alexis's gown on a dress I actually own! However, the one I own isn't strappless and does have sleeves, but the color scheme is still the same and so is the style..._

_Oh, and **Kairi's-twin **pointed out something..._"And now, if he(Van Helsing) kills Dracula, won't she(Alexis) die too?" _Well, for one, I'd like to congratulate her on being the first one to point it out! And second...that's one of the secrets I wouldn't dare give away! You'll all just have to wait and see! _

_Finally...I was thinking about it, and I've found a song that I think fits Gabriel and Anna and their relationship very well right now! It's called **The Diary of Jane **by **Breaking Benjamin**, and I can seriously imagine Gabriel singing it! So, I dedicate this song to him, to Anna, and too their relationship!_

If I had to  
I would put myself right beside you  
So let me ask  
Would you like that?  
Would you like that?

And I don't mind  
If you say this love is the last time  
So now I'll ask  
Do you like that?  
Do you like that?  
No!

Something's getting in the way  
Something's just about to break  
I will try to find my place in the diary of Jane  
So tell me how it should be

Try to find out what makes you tick  
As I lie down  
Sore and sick  
Do you like that?  
Do you like that?

There's a fine line between love and hate  
And I don't mind  
Just let me say  
I like that  
I like that

Something's getting in the way  
Something's just about to break  
I will try to find my place in the diary of Jane  
As I burn another page  
As I look the other way  
I still try to find my place in the diary of Jane  
So tell me how it should be

Desperate, I will crawl  
Waiting for so long  
No love, there is no love  
Die for anyone  
What have I become?

Something's getting in the way  
Something's just about to break  
I will try to find my place in the diary of Jane  
As I burn another page  
As I look the other way  
I still try to find my place in the diary of Jane

_Right, there we go! You don't have to agree with me...but I really thought this went along with Gabriel and Anna! Anyways, review, please, and thanks for reading!_


	16. The Books of Truth

_**A/N: **Hello, everyone! Um...yeah, I don't have much to say, really, except thanks to everyone who reviewed: **a rose by any other name 71591, Gem of the Stars, Aviarianna O Lorien, Kairi's-twin, **and, of course, **musiclover209 **and **Dr. Lust**. Thanks for the reviews, guys!_

_**Disclaimer: **Well, I still don't own the rights to Van Helsing, so I guess I still gotta put this up here!_

**

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**

Chapter Sixteen: The Books of Truth

Yet again, Alexis roamed the halls of Castle Dracula, bored to tears. She had no companions; Dracula-should she ever desire his company, which she _didn't_- was all too consumed with setting up all the equipment his loyal servants had retrieved from Castle Frankenstein upon their return to Transylvania, and God only knew where Aleera was.

Alexis's mind wandered, glazing over vague thoughts until it drifted across one in particular: Gabriel and Dracula. Though he spoke to her very little, she still knew that the Count's hatred of the hunter ran deep…but _why_?

_Is it simply because of Van Helsing's job…that he slays unholy creatures for a living? Does Dracula despise Van Helsing because he's slaughtered many of the Count's vampiric __brethren__? Or…is the reason deeper, more personal…something from the dark recesses of Van Helsing's unknown past?_

With her mind off in another place, Alexis was paying no attention to where she was going, and therefore, was quite surprised when she walked straight into something solid and unyielding.

It was a door, at the end of a dark, lonely corridor. The torches nearby were unlit; the windows provided the only source of light, leaving dim shadows throughout the hall…clearly, this particular hall wasn't often used.

Once again, curiosity overwhelmed Alexis. She glanced up and down the corridor to make sure the Dwergi, Igor, Aleera, or Dracula weren't approaching, then stuck out her hand and twisted the door's knob. To her frustration, the door didn't open, meaning it was probably locked from the inside. She pried at the knob a few more times, trying to get it to open for her, but still it refused to yield to her.

_Oh, to hell with it… _she thought, taking her hand off the knob. She glanced up and down the corridor again, making sure no one was coming, then brought her leg up and kicked the doorjamb, right under the knob. The door swung open, having yielded to her preternatural strength. Alexis gave a satisfied smile, then stepped into the room.

Behind the small, non-descript door was a vast library. The room was circular in shape, meaning it was probably concealed in one of the towers, and shelves lined the entire room, all around the walls and floor-to-ceiling. A narrow window broke the succession of shelves on one wall, and a large, ornate fireplace broke the shelves on another wall. A long, narrow table sat in the middle of the room, with a wingback chair sitting at one end and a lone book sat next to a candle in the middle of the table. Despite the fact that the corridor outside looked as though no one had traversed it in years, there were a few embers smoldering in the fireplace, no dust lingered on the table, shelves, or fireplace mantle, and the candle in the middle of the table was half-melted, hinting that the library had been used recently…_very _recently.

_A library? _Alexis wondered. _Perhaps this may be the place to find what I seek…something that will shed some light on the reason for the Count's hatred…but where to start…_

She glanced at the lone book sitting on the table. Something about the thick, leather-bound volume called to her…she stepped up to the table it was on, then opened it to the first page.

The first page was blank.

Alexis's brow wrinkled in confusion, and she turned to the next page. It was just as blank as the first page. She continued rifling through pages, until she reached the end of the book.

The entire book was _blank_.

She shut the book in disgust; obviously this book wouldn't do her a bit of good. She looked around the library, at the hundreds, maybe thousands of books lining the shelves. She could see the works of Socrates, Aristotle, Copernicus, Newton, and even Poe among them…but she wouldn't know where to look for a book with any information about Gabriel Van Helsing.

"Oh, _perfect_," she spat, speaking aloud to the empty room. "Where am I supposed to find anything about Van Helsing? To search this entire library would take…decades at least…"

She sighed heavily, then came to the decision that, if she was to search this entire library, it would do her good to start now. She was about to head for a shelf when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye…the blank book that had been sitting on the table. Blood-red letters now curled across the cover in a fancy script, spelling out a short phrase:

_The Legend of Gabriel Van Helsing_

Alexis's curiosity piqued. A moment before, nothing had been on the cover…what was the book hiding? Was this book the one she was looking for? She carefully picked up the book, then opened it to the first page. Where blank white parchment had been moments before were now words, neatly written in black ink. She began to read the first page:

_Journal of Brother Andreas Sequisa  
__St. Stephen's Monastery, Carpathia, Romania  
__November 3__rd__, 1499_

_A miracle has occurred today, and I must express it here, in this journal. Today, while I was alone in my cell, reading a letter from my dearest sister in Buda, I was visited by an angel of the Lord!_

_He appeared as a most handsome young man, dressed in the pristine white robes of an angel and surrounded by a Heavenly glow. He had dark, shoulder-length hair, and his eyes seemed to glow with a silver-blue fire. He introduced himself to me as Gabriel-God's own Left Hand!_

_As I stared at him, in all of his Heavenly magnificence, he began to speak, telling me a tale. He said he was sending a part of his spirit to Earth-creating a human incarnation of himself, as it were. He told me that he would come to Earth __as an infant boy, to be born to a family bearing the surname Van Helsing. Then, the angel gave me a mission: I was to seek out the Van Helsing family-a couple by the name of Randolph and Cordelia Van Helsing, who currently resided in Bucharest-and inform them of this. I was also given instructions to inform Cordelia-who was to be the child's mother-that the child was to be named Gabriel. Then, the angel told me "May God be with you" and vanished in a blinding flash of light._

_I am packing my belongings as I speak, and a coach shall be taking me to Bucharest with the first light. I must inform this family of this blessing that is to come!_

Alexis finished reading the entry, then slowly closed the book, in awe of what she had just read. Was this journal entry simply the ravings of a delusional friar who thought he saw an angel…or was Gabriel _really _some sort of human incarnation of the Archangel Gabriel?

_One way to find out. _Alexis tucked the book under one arm, then carefully crept out of the library, closing the now-broken door behind her. She then hurried back towards her room, clutching the book against her corseted chest.

Clearly, _this w_as the book she needed.

---

Gabriel glanced around the tower of Manor Valerious. Currently, it was cluttered with books, artifacts from around the manor, and papers covered front and back with Carl's untidy scrawl. "All right, Carl, what have you learned?"

"That Count Dracula was actually the _son _of Valerious the Elder." He pointed to Anna. "The son of your ancestor."

"Everyone knows that," Anna pointed out. "What else?"

"Oh, well, all right…" Carl scurried over to an artifact, one that looked like a piece of stained-glass window. It depicted God at the top of the piece, with two angels, one on either side of him. He unrolled a piece of paper down at the bottom, one that depicted a more gruesome scene-a knight poised with his sword over another knight, clearly in the act of murdering the knight-and held it up to the bottom of the stained glass. "According to this rubbing, it all started when Dracula was murdered-"

"Do you know who murdered him?" Gabriel asked.

"No…there's some sort of vague reference to the Left Hand of God…" Carl picked up another artifact, a piece of paper with an intricate illustration at the bottom. He folded the paper, turning the illustration into one of a man kneeling at the feet of the Devil. "And, in 1462, when Dracula died, he made a covenant with the Devil-"

"And was given a new life…" Gabriel said slowly, taking the artifact and showing it to Anna.

"But the only way he could sustain that life was by drinking the blood of others," Anna finished.

"Um, excuse me, but are you two going to let _me _tell the story?" Carl asked, slightly annoyed.

"Sorry," Anna and Gabriel apologized as one.

"Now, your ancestor, having sired this evil creature, went to Rome, to seek forgiveness." Carl held up a portrait, then handed it to Gabriel. "_That's _when the bargain was made. He was to kill Dracula in return for eternal salvation of his entire family, right down the line-" He held up the Valerious family tree, then pointed to the bottom, where Anna's name was listed next to the name of her now-deceased brother. "-All the way to you."

"But he couldn't do it," Anna said, taking her family tree from Carl. "As evil as Dracula was, my ancestor couldn't kill his own _son_."

"So he banished him to an icy fortress," Carl said, pointing to an illustration on a page in the book he held. "Sending him through a door from which there was no return." He closed the book with a loud, sharp _snap _to punctuate his point.

"And then the Devil gave him wings," Anna said.

"Yes."

"All right…so where is this door?" Gabriel asked.

"I don't know," Carl confessed, before turning and pushing on a section of wall, which spun out of the way to reveal the same painting he had come across after his little _rendezvous _with the town's barmaid. "But…when your ancestor could kill his son, he left clues…so that future generations might do it for him."

"That must be what my father was looking for!" Anna exclaimed as it dawned on her. "Clues to the door's location!"

"The door…the _door_…" Gabriel pondered softy. After a moment's deep thought, it dawned on him. "Of course!"

He showed the artifacts he had been holding back into Carl's hands, then hurried out of the tower, towards the armory. It was all clear to him now.

He knew where the door to Castle Dracula was now.

* * *

_**A/N: **Wow...just, wow...Gabriel might be the Left Hand of God? Wow...what an interesting book Alexis came across! I actually got the idea for a book like that-a book that's blank until you say what you want to read, then said information is displayed in the book- from Season Five of my favorite show, **Angel. **Amazing what cool crap they have at evil law firms like Wolfram and Hart, huh?_

_Now, um...oh, what was I going to say? Oh, yeah-Gabriel knows where the door to Castle Dracula is! But-what will he say when he finds Alexis at Castle Dracula? Remember-he doesn't know she's there! And what else is there in that mysterious book? Well, you're going to have to keep reading, now aren't you?_

_Please review! Thanks to everyone who does!_


	17. Beyond the Icy Gates

_**A/N: **Well, since it was a four-day weekend, and I was feeling the happiness(especially after watching X-Men last night!) I went ahead and updated! Thanks to **Rose71591, Aviarianna O Lorien, Gem of the Stars, Karai's-twin, **and **musiclover209 **for reviewing! And, of course to **Dr. Lust **for her continued support! Thanks everyone!_

_**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I didn't suddenly inherit the right to Van Helsing, otherwise, I'd be making some changes to it right now...like singing. I probably would have put in some singing, seeing as a few of them can sing(cough cough Hugh Jackman cough)_

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Chapter Seventeen: Beyond the Icy Gates

Anna watched curiously as Gabriel briskly strode out of the tower. She followed, and behind her, she heard Carl's shuffling footsteps as he followed.

To her surprise, Gabriel seemed to be leading them towards the armory. Her suspicions were confirmed when he did indeed lead them into the armory. "You said your father would stare at this painting for hours, searching for Dracula's lair. Well, I think you were right; quite literally, I think _this_-" He stopped before the map of Transylvania and held out his arms. "-is the door. He just didn't know how to open it!"

Carl stepped forward, pointing to the left side of the map. "Look! A Latin inscription! Maybe it works like that painting in the tower…"

Anna shook her head in disbelief and protest. "If this were a door, my father would have opened it long ago."

Carl moved a chair that had been obscuring the bottom of the inscription, then turned to his companions with a crestfallen expression. "I can't finish the inscription. There's a piece missing."

For a moment, Gabriel looked slightly crestfallen but more in thought, then, something seemed to dawn on him. He began to dig around in one of his coat pockets; a moment later, he pulled out what appeared to be a small scroll and opened it, revealing a piece of cloth, torn roughly at the top, with a fragment of a Latin phrase on it. "Your father didn't have this."

Anna glanced at Gabriel in surprise. "Where did you get that?"

Gabriel ignored the princess's query and handed Carl the cloth. "Carl, finish it!" he urged.

Carl took the cloth, pulled it out of the holder, then pressed it to the bottom of the inscription, finding that both ripped edges matched each other perfectly. He cleared his throat, then read the end of the inscription aloud. "_Deum lacessat ac inaum imbeat aperiri._"

"In the name of God, open this door," Gabriel translated aloud.

It was small at first; a tiny dot in the center of the map. But it spread out rapidly, until the entire surface of the map had crystallized. Then, the map faded away, leaving only an antiqued mirror.

"A mirror?" Carl questioned curiously.

"Dracula has no reflection in the mirror," Anna pointed out.

"But…_why_?" Gabriel questioned softly.

"Maybe…" Carl pondered aloud. "Maybe to Dracula, it's not a mirror at all…"

Gabriel cautiously approached the mirror, his natural curiosity piquing, and he pressed the tips of his right-hand fingers against the glass. To everyone's surprise, his fingers went straight through the surface. He pushed his hand in a little further; a grin spread over his face. "It's cold…" He pulled his hand out a moment later, and turned so Anna and Carl could see the crystalline flakes of snow that had gathered on his hand. "And it's snowing…"

He grabbed a lit torch from nearby, prepared to pass through the gates. "See you on the other side." He moved to walk through the gate, but Anna placed a hand on his chest, halting his movements.

"Be careful," she warned. He nodded, then took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and passed through the gate.

On the other side, it was bone-chillingly cold, and snow fell, blown around in a strong wind, which lifted locks of his hair and sent them dancing. Behind him, he heard someone else step through the gate, and he turned around and took Anna's hand as she stepped through the gate.

Her eyes widened as she saw the castle looming before them. It was a large, impenetrable fortress, made of black stone. The high towers disappeared into the stormy clouds above, which crackled with lightning. The doors themselves were at least thirty feet high, and sealed shut by centuries of rust and ice. It looked as though it had simply been carved out of the mountain instead of having been built.

"Castle Dracula…" Anna whispered in shock and awe. She then glanced at Gabriel, their eyes expressing unspoken agreement, and they walked forward, towards the vast doors. Behind them, they heard a gasp as Carl emerged from the gates, caught sight of a skeleton tangled in a tree, and then came a loud _thud _as Carl plowed headlong into the other side of the gate. Apparently, the gate was a one-way ticket; there was no turning back. Carl clambered back to his feet, his robes now coated in snow, and he hurried to catch up to the princess and the hunter.

"Do we have a plan?" he asked as they approached the doors. "It doesn't have to be Wellington's at Waterloo, but some sort of plan would be nice…"

"We're going to go in there and stop Dracula," Gabriel stated.

"And kill anything that gets in our way," Anna added as an afterthought.

"Well, you let me know how that goes…" Carl said nervously, turning as though he was heading back to Manor Valerious. Gabriel dropped his torch, which was instantly snuffed out by the cold, wet snow, and he grabbed Carl by the scruff of his robes, keeping him from escaping. He eyed the transom above the door, which appeared to be the only way in. It was also at least thirty feet off the ground. Gabriel took Anna by her shoulder, then, grunting in exertion, he jumped once…twice…and with the third leap, they all landed atop the transom. Without a moment's hesitation, Gabriel jumped off the edge of the transom, taking Anna and Carl with him. He landed on the ground inside of the castle, trying to land as lightly as he could for his companions' sake. Then, he let go of them as the pain took over, forcing him to his knees…he was being pulled apart from the inside out…

"Well, as grateful as I am to be out of the cold, that _doesn't _seem like a good thing," Carl said nervously.

Gabriel lifted his head and snarled fiercely, the wolf within taking over in a moment of weakness. His eyes briefly turned golden-yellow, burning with feral rage…then, they faded to their usual color, and he took a shaky breath. Anna and Carl looked at him in worry; he stood back up on his feet. "We better get moving."

He walked further into the vast hall, with Anna and Carl close behind. The stench of death and corruption in the hall was overwhelming; glancing up, they all saw the ceiling covered with dozens upon dozens of sacs of Dracula's children.

"So, are all of those-?" Carl asked.

Anna nodded. "Yes."

"And inside them are-?"

Gabriel nodded. "Yes."

"Igor do this, Igor do that!" a disgruntled voice complained nearby. Dracula's servant, Igor, limped into the hall, his back and shoulders slung with wires and cables. He caught sight of the trio, and panic distorted his warped face. "How did you find-? It's impossible-!"

He turned and began to run like hell, but Gabriel produced one of his tojo blades and flung it at Igor like a _shuriken_. It caught him by the sleeve and pinned him to the nearby wall. Gabriel approached him and a hand around his throat.

"Please! Please don't kill me!" Igor begged.

"Why not?" Gabriel asked coldly.

Igor stopped to think about that for a minute. "Well…ah…um…"

A loud, anguished yell came from nearby…_very _nearby. Gabriel turned his attention away from Igor, and, when he peered through a nearby barred window, he found Frankenstein suspended in a shaft, frozen in a block of ice from the neck down and struggling madly. Then came an unearthly and unholy screech that seemed to echo off every surface and drowned out Frankenstein's yells.

Igor gave a small smile. "My Master has awakened…"

Above, someone activated a pulley, and the icy prison Frankenstein was incased in began to rise in the shaft. The obviously poor and harsh treatment Frankenstein had received-along with the pain and sadness in his eyes-awakened a fury in Gabriel, and he began to pull on the bars separating him from Frankenstein. The bars bent and twisted under his werewolf-venom-fueled strength, but they didn't yield to him. He dropped his hands from the bars in defeat.

"There is a cure!" Frankenstein said.

Gabriel lifted his head. "Wha-?"

"Dracula!" Frankenstein explained. "He has a cure…to remove the curse of the werewolf! Go…find the cure…save _yourself_ …"

He rose out of sight then, and Gabriel briefly lowered his head, thinking over what Frankenstein had just said. Anna pulled roughly on his arm. "Come on; you heard what he said! Let's find it!"

"Why does Dracula need a cure?"

"I don't care!" Anna snapped.

"I do…" Gabriel said softly. He turned his attention back to Igor, approaching him and grabbing him by the collar. "Why does he need one? _Why?!_"

Igor gave a grunt, keeping his mouth shut, clearly more fearful of his Master's wrath than Gabriel's wrath. Just then, Carl spoke up, "Because…because the only thing that can kill him is a werewolf!"

Both Gabriel and Anna gave him confused looks, so he continued, "The painting in the tower! _That's _what it meant!"

"But Dracula has been using werewolves to do his bidding for centuries," Anna said.

"Yes, but if one ever had the will to turn on him, he'd need a cure to remove the curse and make it human before it bit him."

It all made sense to Gabriel now…but there was still one last thing they needed to know. He yanked his tojo blade out of Igor's sleeve, sending him back to the ground, then leaned in close to his face. "You're going to take these two and lead them to the antidote," he commanded, jerking his head in his companions' direction.

"No, I'm not…" Igor said. However, when the hunter gave a growl and pushed Igor against another part of the wall, he seemed to reconsider. "Yes, I am…"

Carl came up and put his hand on Gabriel's shoulder. "Here's the plan," he said. "When the bell begins to toll midnight, you'll be able to kill Dracula. We just need to find the cure and get it into you before the final stroke-"

Anna, whom had been listening from behind, slapped Carl on the shoulder. "Are you _insane_? What kind of plan is _that_?"

Meanwhile, the hunter turned his attention back to Igor and confiscated a pair of clippers from his hands. "If they even _suspect _you of misleading them-" he clicked the clippers threateningly, then held them out to Anna. "-Clip off one of his fingers."

"I'll clip off _something_…" Anna murmured ominously.

"The tower over there!" Igor cried, pointing. "That is where it is!"

"What about the other tower?"

Igor refused to answer, but when Gabriel reached for the clippers, he reconsidered that idea. "That is where we reassembled the laboratory. Would I lie to you?"

Gabriel grabbed Igor and brought him up until they were practically nose-to-nose. "Not if you wanted to live."

He turned back to the friar and the princess, reaching into his coat. "Now, if I'm not cured by the twelfth stroke of midnight…" He pulled out a silver stake and pressed the button on the handle, making the stake pop out; he held it out to Carl.

Carl shook his head. "I don't think I could."

"You _must_," Gabriel urged. He knew he didn't have to survive his assignment for it to be a success.

Carl nodded solemnly, took the stake, then grabbed Igor and pulled him off down the hall. Meanwhile, Anna turned to Gabriel and grabbed his arm. "I don't like this plan."

"We don't have a choice. Just don't get killed."

"You still don't understand. It doesn't matter what happens to me…we must save my family."

She moved to follow Carl, but Gabriel grabbed her arm. "If you're late…run like hell."

She nodded and tried to run, but still he held her back. "Don't be late…"

For a moment, they both stared at each other. There was hesitation in Gabriel's eyes; he wanted to do something, but he wasn't sure if she would approve. Sensing what he was feeling, Anna leaned in, grabbed the back of his head, and fiercely kissed him. He returned the kiss with equal passion and ferocity; for a moment, all was forgotten as they savored the feel of their lips on each other's, as they lost themselves in passion…All too soon, Gabriel gently broke away, looking deep into Anna's eyes.

"Now go…Go!"

She nodded, and he released her. She sprinted off after Carl, and he turned, heading towards the opposite tower. However, he was only about halfway to the staircase when he saw a small, slim figure lingering near the staircase, her nose buried in a thick, leather-bound volume.

He stopped dead in his tracks. He had no idea how she was here, at Castle Dracula, but he would have recognized her anywhere: The long, raven hair flowing free over her shoulders, the sparkling green eyes that were scanning the book's pages, the small, lithe figure…she was even still wearing the same clothes-the ones she'd borrowed from Anna-as she'd been wearing the last time he'd seen her, though they were streaked with dirt from the forest and what looked like blood…

"Alexis…"

She lifted her head, and her eyes widened in surprise. "V-Van Helsing? How did you-?"

Her words were lost as Gabriel sprinted forward and embraced her, as if she were his long-lost sister or something. After a moment, she returned the embrace, though she seemed far more hesitant than Gabriel.

"Oh, Alexis…oh, thank God you're safe…I'm sorry about what I said that day…" he whispered hurriedly. His mind swam slightly with guilt as he remembered her heartbroken expression, and now as he realized he hadn't given her much thought in the past few days. "I'm happy you're safe, God, I was so-"

He stopped suddenly. Something about Alexis didn't seem right. He could feel no body heat radiating from her; her skin was cold as ice. She was also pale as the snow that was falling outside, as though she hadn't seen sunlight in years, and…he could detect the faint scent of death upon her. His mind screaming out his suspicions, he took her by the shoulders and held her out at arm's length.

"Alexis…you're not..?" he asked slowly, not wanting to hear if his mind's accusations were true.

Alexis dropped her gaze to the floor, then, she brushed her hair to the right side of her neck, revealing two puncture wounds on the left side of her neck, healed to the point where they nearly didn't exist anymore.

"A vampire…" she finished in a whisper, confirming his accusations…his _fears_.

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_**A/N: **Wow, that was a long chapter...six pages in Microsoft Word! And I did it all in one day, too...it was close to midnight by the time I was done typing it, I do believe...anyways, I'm sure you don't care, I was just making a comment._

_Now, on to the important stuff...yes, this chapter had the big kiss scene (God, I always get so jealous of Kate Beckinsale during this part...uh...oh, crap, did I say that out loud?Meep!). And...Gabriel found Alexis again! And yes, **Rose71591,** Gabriel hadn't been thinking about her for the past few days. With being bitten by a werewolf, then Anna getting kidnapped, then Frankenstein getting kidnapped, then finding the door to Castle Dracula, poor guy got a little scatterbrained and forgot about her a little. He's found her again, though-but there's one problem! How do you think he's going to react to Alexis being a vampire? _

_All in good time, loves, all in good time!(grabs sheild to protect self from pissed-off readers)_

_Second...heh heh, I love the part were they sorta-torture Igor...especially the "I'll clip off_ something_" comment...(winces) Ouch... Oh, by the way: Did you know Igor (played by Kevin J O'Conner) was in another move written and directed by Stephan Sommers? Next contest: Tell me the name of the movie, and tell me the role Kevin J O'Conner played (the character's name). Winners get a chapter dedication and...a Van Helsing plushie!_

_Finally...I've found another song that I think goes pretty well...I thought it really describes Gabriel as his whole "transformation" into a werewolf is occuring...and the part in the chapter where he "spazzes out" made me realize that this song would be perfect to put at the end of this chapter! It's called** Animal I Have Become **by one of my favorite bands_**, _Three Days Grace_**_. Enjoy!_

I can't escape this hell  
So many times I've tried  
But I'm still caged inside  
Somebody get me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself!

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal  
_(This animal, this animal)_

I can't escape myself  
_(I can't escape myself)  
_So many times I've lied  
_(So many times I've lied)  
_But there's still rage inside  
Somebody get me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself!

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal

Somebody help me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself!  
Somebody wake me from this nightmare  
I can't escape this hell!

_(This animal, This animal, This animal, This animal, This animal, This animal, This animal)_

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal  
_(This animal I have become)_

_There you go, that's the song! As always, you don't have to agree with me, but that's my personal opinion. Thanks for reading! Now let's hit the magical little review button and say something nice! Please?_


	18. Fight For the Cure

_**A/N: **Well, I know I left you guys with a **massive **cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter, and I know it took me nearly a week to update, but...here it is! And wow...I got **8 reviews **last chapter! So, thanks to **Blackangel90, Kairi's-twin, musiclover209, Gem of the Stars, Rose71591, Aviarianna O Lorien, LuNa LlEna, **and, last but certainly not least, **Dr. Lust, **for reviewing!_

_Oh, I do have the answer to the contest: The movie is **The Mummy**, and Kevin J O'Conner played **Beni Gabor, **among one of my favorite characters...(but, if you ask me, **no one **can beat Ardeth Bay!)_

_**Disclaimer: **Well, I still don't own Van Helsing, but I put it on both my Christmas list **and **my birthday wish list, so there's some hope._

_

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**This chapter is dedicated to Blackangel90 and LuNa LlEna, my two contest winners! Congratulations, guys!

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**Chapter Eighteen: Fight For the Cure

Alexis could feel Gabriel's surprised gaze on her after she admitted she was a vampire. She was amazed he had found and gotten into Castle Dracula…and his embrace had felt so wonderful…but…she could sense something different about him…

"Dracula…" Gabriel murmured, as if he was answering a riddle of sorts. "Dracula sired you, didn't he?"

She nodded solemnly, and his eyebrows rose in surprise. "Alexis…_why?_" he asked. "Why did you let him turn you into a vampire..?"

"He told me…he told me that he would make sure I could never be hurt again…and I was so upset…so naïve…that I believed him…" she said softly. Before, when she was still human, she would have felt ashamed, maybe even had been crying…but she felt nothing. No shame, no sorrow-all she felt anymore was anger at Dracula. "But…there's something _different _about you, Van Helsing…"

"What..?" he asked, his mind elsewhere. He had to find the lab…he had to find Frankenstein…he had to stop Dracula from bringing his children to life…

"I can smell it…" she said. "There's a _wolfen_ taint in your blood now…you were bitten by Velkan, weren't you?"

Gabriel's eyebrows rose again. _Amazing…for a young woman, she's quite clever… _he thought.

He nodded. "Yes…I was. But…that's not important right now…Alexis, I need to know: Do you have any idea where they took Frankenstein?"

She nodded. "Yes. They took him up to the laboratory. Just follow these stairs up the tower…the laboratory will be somewhere up there…"

Gabriel nodded gratefully. Alexis stayed exactly where she was, watching him carefully, waiting patiently for him to do what she knew he had to do: She was waiting for him to stake her through her heart.

He didn't, though. Instead, he embraced her, whispered a quick thanks in her ears, and sprinted up the staircase, taking the steps two at a time.

Alexis watched him go; for the first time since her turning, she could feel something deep within her heart and soul that wasn't anger at Dracula.

She felt love.

---

Dracula pushed open the doors and briskly strode into the laboratory, his hands clasped behind his back. He was pleased to see the Dwergi making the final preparations for the experiment…though he couldn't help but notice that Igor was conspicuously absent.

_Where has that wretched creature gotten to now? _He wondered. _Oh, well…it matters not. Everything is almost ready…_

"_GET OFF ME, YOU VERMIN FROM HELL!!!_" a loud voice cried out. Dracula whirled around to find six or seven Dwergi working to strap a struggling Frankenstein into the pod.

He approached the struggling creature. "What are you complaining about? This was why you were made! To prove that God is not the only one who can create life!" He leaned in closer; his next words came out softer. "And now you must give that life to my children…"

Frankenstein's mouth was tightly clamped in revulsion; Dracula then stepped back and watched as, at his command, the Dwergi turned a flywheel that raised the creature through the laboratory's skylight and into the storm above.

---

Anna gave Carl a nudge as she stared at the syringe suspended in the transparent liquid, the syringe that contained the cure Gabriel needed. "Go ahead. Grab it."

"You go ahead and grab it!" Carl protested. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's never be the first one to stick your hand in a viscous material…"

_That's a wise thing to learn, _Anna thought to herself. But, wise or not, it couldn't be denied that they needed to get the syringe-but neither was willing to stick their hand into the unknown liquid.

Anna heard a noise behind her, and, glancing over her shoulder, she saw Aleera hanging upside-down behind her, her jaws expanded to an impossible size, hissing like an incensed panther. Anna yanked Carl away from the bride, pulling him to the other side of the pedestal, and Aleera dropped from the ceiling, landing gracefully on her feet.

"Did I scare you?" she asked.

Carl shook his head, even though he was trembling visibly from head to toe. "No…"

"Well then…maybe I need to try a little…_harder_…" she said. She then began to chuckle her maddening chuckle…Suddenly, Anna pushed the glass dome the syringe was suspended in off of the pedestal. It shattered when it hit the floor, spattering the clear fluid all over Aleera. She clasped her face in her hands and howled like a wounded animal. Meanwhile, the syringe rolled away, clattering loudly on the stones before rolling into a clump of snow.

"Get it! Get it!" Anna cried, pushing Carl towards the syringe. He scurried towards it, while she dropped her sword and instead grabbed a large piece of the broken dome, which was filled with the liquid. She flung the liquid at the iron bars that had descended over the room's door. Just as she expected, the liquid burned through the bars like…well, like acid!

"Oooh! It's hot! Hot! Hot! Hot!" Carl yelped as he attempted to grasp the syringe with the ends of his robes. The residual acid on the syringe seared his robes, causing smoke to rise from them, but finally, he got a good grasp on it and came running towards the door.

"Come on! We have to get the antidote to Van Helsing!" Anna cried as she ushered Carl out the door. "Go! Go!"

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Anna and slammed her into the bars-or, at least, what was left of them, anyways. She found herself face-to-face with Aleera; most of the skin on the bride's face was an ugly brown color, a result of being burned by the acid.

"You can't go until I _say_ you can go!" she sneered angrily.

Anna glanced over her shoulder at Carl. "Keep running, Carl!"

Aleera grabbed her and slammed her against the bars again. As she watched, the bride's face healed over, back to the usual, lovely façade. "And I say you can go when you're _dead_!"

She flung Anna across the room like a child tossing a toy aside. For a second, Anna was seeing black stars as she made contact with the unforgiving stone floor. She could taste blood in the corner of her lips, but she quickly got back to her feet when she saw Aleera approaching. In an amazing acrobatic feat accomplished by long years of training, she lunged for a torch mounted on a wall, one foot meeting the wall as she did. She then backflipped away from the wall, spun on her heel, and shoved the lit torch straight into Aleera's face.

Aleera snuffed out the torch with a single breath, as though it was merely a candle. Then, cackling loudly, she spun around the room, creating tempest-like winds, snuffing out all the torches. She faced Anna again, a maddening grin on her face, then, with one breath, she snuffed out the torch behind Anna, plunging the room into utter blackness. A moment later, however, a bolt of lightning outside lit up the room with a blinding flash of white.

Aleera was gone.

---

Gabriel scrambled up the wall of the laboratory and clambered through the skylight onto the roof. Driving winds and pelting rains assaulted him immediately, but he ignored it. Frankenstein was suspended in the middle of the skylight, lying horizontally, strapped into a pod. He began to crank the flywheel, turning Frankenstein upright.

"What are you doing?" Frankenstein called above the clamor of the storm. "You must find the cure!"

"My friends are doing it for me!" Gabriel assured him as he finally got the pod tilted upright.

"Friends?" Frankenstein asked curiously.

"Yes! You want one?" Gabriel noticed, with dismay, that Frankenstein was more than simply strapped into the pod-he was _bolted _in. "I can't unscrew the bolts. This is _going _to hurt…"

"I am accustomed to pain!" Frankenstein assured him.

"Let's you know you're alive!" Gabriel responded. He gripped the end of the first strap, which was welded across Frankenstein's broad chest, then, with his newfound strength, he ripped the strap out. Blood spurted from where the bolts had been, and Frankenstein bellowed a scream to the heavens.

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_**A/N: **Well, there's the answer to the cliffhanger: Gabriel didn't kill Alexis! Aw, I'm so proud of him, I just wanna hug him!!!_

_But seriously, did you **really **expect him to kill her? He loves her like a sister, he would be devestated if anything happened to her...do you really think that, under those circumstances, he'd kill her? I think not-how about you?_

_Right...the big, epic, ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny between Dracula and Van Helsing is rapidly approaching...are you ready? (grabs pom-poms and a big sign that says **Van Helsing is #1! **and holds them up) I know I am!_

_Okay, I don't have a contest for you this time...but I do have another song-in-the-credits thing...I was on my friend's Quizilla homepage the other day, and her Project Playlist playlist randomly went to this song. I had never heard this song before, but I instantly liked it! And, after listening to it a few more times, and looking up the lyrics, I realized that this song made me think of Alexis, and how she feels about Gabriel (in a way, at least, I think). It's called **Aquarius **by one of my favorite bands, **Within Temptation. **And below, I have it for you to enjoy!_

I hear your whispers  
Break the silence  
And it calms me down  
Your taste on my lips  
Your salty kisses

They say that I'm seeking up the danger  
That one day you on't let me go  
_(I'll drown, you'll take me down)_

I need you, Aquarius  
Enchanted I will have to stay  
I feel you, Aquarius  
'Cause you don't see, set me free  
You call to me, Aquarius  
_(You call to me, you set me free)_

I relinquish  
To your powers  
From your grasp  
I just can't hide

They say I have to be aware  
That one day you won't let me go  
Take me down

I need you, Aquarius  
Enchanted I will have to stay  
I feel you, Aquarius  
'Cause you don't see, set me free  
You call to me, Aquarius  
_(You call to me, you set me free)_

I long for you, Aquarius  
I need to be with you again  
I fear you, Aquarius  
My destiny 'till the end

I need you, Aquarius  
Enchanted I will have to stay  
I feel you, Aquarius  
'Cause you don't see, set me free  
You call to me, Aquarius  
_(You call to me, you set me free)_

I need you, Aquarius  
Enchanted I will have to stay  
I feel you, Aquarius  
'Cause you don't see, set me free  
You call to me, Aquarius

_Yeah, you should hear the actual song. It's awesome...the music, the singing...and alternative and/or goth music just seems to go so well with Van Helsing, doesn't it? But, as always, you don't have to agree with me, but I think this is a good song foor how Alexis feels about Gabriel. Anyways, now, I'm just rambling, so I'll shut up! Thanks for reading and please review!_


	19. Rescues

_**A/N: **Whoo! Chapter nineteen! Yeah, this chapter's a little shorter, but I promise, the next chapters are not only longer, but packed with action! Yeah, I meant to update last night, but, heh...(rubs neck nervously) my mom brought home Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and I just **had **to watch it! On the bright side, though...there's a chance that I might not have school tomorrow (snow days, gotta love them...), so if I don't, I'll update again!_

_Anyways...thanks to **Rose 71591, LuNa LlEna711, Kairi's-twin, Aviarianna O Lorien, **and, of course, my two dearest friends **musiclover209 **and **Dr. Lust **for reviewing! (huggles all)_

_**Disclaimer: **I often dream of the day where I own the rights to Van Helsing...but let's face, like **that's **ever gonna happen!

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Chapter Nineteen: Rescues

Dracula felt an immense surge of pleasure when he saw the lightning strike Frankenstein up on the roof. A huge, glowing charge of electrical energy gathered at the back of the pod, then shot down into the laboratory itself. Machines whirred and hummed at deafening levels. Sparks flew from cables. Dwergi were sent flying, some by the sheer power of the electrical pulse, others by Dracula's very will.

"_GIVE ME LIFE!!!_" he screamed.

The pulse's aftereffects died down, and Dracula heard a distant heartbeat from the front hall…the experiment was working! His children were living! "One more bolt…and my young will live!"

He happened to glance through the skylight then, and he saw Gabriel unbolting Frankenstein from the pod. The sight of it filled him with fury and rage.

_Damn that meddling hunter! Damn him to Hell! _Dracula raged silently. _He dares to try foil my experiment?! Well, then…he has another thing coming, doesn't he?_

---

Frankenstein watched as Gabriel unbolted and unbuckled the straps, little by little freeing him from the blasted pod.

"You're almost out, my friend!" Gabriel reassured him as he began working on the straps around Frankenstein's legs.

A dark, demonic, hell-bat shape exploded from out of nowhere, swooping down on the hunter and the creature. It was Dracula-a fully transformed and deathly lethal Dracula. He watched as Dracula knocked Gabriel away from the pod, knocking him through the skylight and into the laboratory.

_But Dracula is too late…_Frankenstein thought triumphantly. _Van Helsing has freed me!_

He clambered out of the pod, hoping to find a way off the roof…but before he could even take a step, something stopped him…looking down, he found that Gabriel had neglected a small chain padlocked around his right ankle.

Another bolt of lightning struck him, knocking him back into the pod. The electrical energy surged through his body, along with searing pain…It abruptly stopped, and Frankenstein was flung loose from the pod, over the edge of the roof…and into the open sky.

---

Aleera was toying with her. Anna circled the room several times, holding the unlit torch like a weapon, still seeing no Aleera.

A ghost of Aleera's laugh rang out. Then, another, echoing eerily off the room's stone walls. She turned around again…and found Aleera calmly examining her nails. Then, there was a sharp pain on her face, right at her left temple, as Aleera backhanded her and she went flying across the room.

---

Carl darted across the bridge as fast as he could, occasionally looking over his shoulder to find Igor's electric cattle prod coming very close to striking him. Rain soaked him to the bone, the winds threatened to blow him off the bridge, and every so often, lightning would strike the bridge, sometimes mere inches from him.

Out of nowhere, he saw a cable stretching across the bridge, coming towards him. He ducked, so the cable wouldn't hit him, but Igor wasn't so lucky. The cable caught him across the chest, and, as Frankenstein came swinging up around a torch, Igor was flung over the side of the bridge, into the abyss below.

Carl peered over the edge of the bridge and found Frankenstein dangling helplessly from a cable. He was rapidly losing grip on the rain-soaked cable…only a few inches stopped him from plummeting into oblivion.

"Carl…help me…" he cried softly.

"But…you're supposed to die…" Carl protested weakly. The profound sadness in Frankenstein's eyes pulled as his heartstrings.

"I want to live…" Frankenstein said.

For a moment, Carl was torn, caught in the conflict of either obeying the orders of the Church or saving one of God's creatures from a terrible fate. At long last, he made his decision. "All right…"

He glanced around quickly, then noticed that the cable was tangled around one of the large, smoldering torches nearby. He began to push on the huge stone torch, trying to knock it off the perch. "Hang on!" he called. "I'll swing you loose!"

Finally, after what seemed like forever, he shoved the heavy stone torch off its perch. The cable came loose, and Frankenstein swung away, back in the direction Carl had just come from.

---

Anna lifted her head slowly…she felt dizzy and groggy from her encounter with the cold, unforgiving stone floor. Hot blood trickled down her face.

Iron bands wrapped around her throat. No, not iron bands…_hands_. Aleera's hands. Her body and feet left the floor as Aleera lifted her into the air. As she lifted her, she metamorphosed into her hell-bat form.

"Be happy in the knowledge that I shall weep over your dead body!" Aleera hissed. A long tongue snaked out of her mouth and licked the princess's forehead, lapping at the blood that had trickled down her face. Her fangs grew longer, her lustful gaze traveled to Anna's jugular vein…

Suddenly, she gave a loud shriek of pain and released Anna. Gravity seized the princess, and she plunged back towards the floor…at least until clawed feet grabbed her shoulders and gently lowered her back to the floor. Looking up, Anna saw another hell-bat vampire, similar to Aleera, though smaller and with long black hair, almost like a miniature version of Verona. Before Anna could even thank her, however, she released Anna's shoulders and flew towards Aleera. The new vampire struck Aleera across the face, gouging out four long, nasty scratches. Aleera retaliated by kicking the black-haired vampiress in the side; the long claws on her feet dug into the other vampire's side, scratching the skin so reddish-black blood could seep through. The vampire gave a shriek of pain, and the bride's kick sent her sprawling to the floor with a loud cry. Before Anna's eyes, the vampiress regressed to her human form, which was that of a young, pretty, black-haired girl wearing some _very _familiar clothes…

"_Alexis?!_" Anna asked in surprise.

Alexis glanced up at her, her green eyes glowing an icy blue. "Anna, get out of here! Go; get the cure to Van Helsing-"

Her words were cut short when the window behind them shattered. Frankenstein crashed through the window, slamming into Aleera and sending the vampire bride sprawling to the ground as well.

* * *

_**A/N: **(laughs) Ha ha! Igor fell off the bridge! Bye-bye, Igor!!!_

_Anyways, now that I'm done acting like a two-year-old...yeah, I told you it was a little short...but like I said, the big action scenes are coming up...who's ready for the big, enormous, ultimate-showdown-of-ultimate-destiny between Gabriel Van Helsing and Vladislaus Dragulia?! It's coming up next chapter! _

_And yes, Alexis did fight...like she was really gonna sit back and let everyone else have all the fun! And, of course, she fought on Anna's side...remember, she pretty much hates Dracula's guts, so she'd fight on his side **why**? _

_Um...I don't think I have a song for this chapter...(checks) Nope, I don't...and I can't think of a contest, either, so...yeah. Thanks for reading...hope you liked, and please review!_


	20. The Beast Within

_**A/N: **Yep...another chapter in less than one day! Why? Well...I GOT A SNOWDAY!!! So, needless to say, I had a lot of time on my hands...thanks to **LuNa LlEna **for sending in a review, and thanks to everyone else who usually sends in reviews...and don't worry, this chapter's longer!_

_**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I still don't own Van Helsing...maybe in a perfect world, but hey...IS this world perfect?_

_I thought not

* * *

_Chapter Twenty: The Beast Within

Gabriel stumbled out of a pile of wreckage, panting and stumbling occasionally. Flaming Dwergi ran past him, shrieking as the flames consumed their bodies.

He was hurt…he could feel it. Blood was seeping from large, deep cuts on his back and shoulders, his head pounded with a headache (the result of having fallen sixty feet and landing on a hard stone floor), and at least one rib was broken, if not more; each breath brought searing agony. But the werewolf venom was still coursing through his veins; the cuts on his back and shoulders began to heal over, his head stopped pounding, and his ribs began to reknit themselves painfully.

There was a soft _whoosh _behind him, and he turned to see Dracula, no longer in his demonic form, but now in his human form. "You are too late, my friend," he sneered triumphantly. "My children live!"

"Then the only way to kill them…" Gabriel said, pointing to the count. "Is to kill you…"

The count nodded. "Correct."

Confidence rang out in the vampire's voice; clearly, he expected this to be a quick, one-sided fight. Gabriel could feel the changes within him accelerating…midnight was rapidly approaching. He shrugged off his torn coat, letting it drop to the floor behind him. "So be it…"

A confused look came over Dracula's face at the hunter's words and actions. Gabriel glanced behind him, at the clock beyond the window. The long hand swung forward just then, striking midnight. The bell chimed loudly. "One…"

Raw power flooded Gabriel from all sides; the pain of the first stages of his transformation brought him to his knees. His heart pounded like the hooves of warhorses, and a loud yell escaped his lips. He then ripped his vest and sweater off, exposing his chest-healing bite wound and all- to Dracula.

The vampire's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. "No…this cannot be…"

Gabriel's skin began to rip and peel away, allowing the beast within to finally break free. As his skin fell away- revealing pitch-black fur beneath- his humanity fell away, too. His mission…Carl…Alexis…Anna…they all were gone, replaced by untamed bloodlust and rage.

When the transformation was done, he stood to his feet, no longer a man, but instead a beast. Gabriel Van Helsing was no more; he was the Wolf now, driven by one sole purpose: to kill Dracula.

The Wolf took a step forward, and Dracula responded by taking a step back. "We are both part of the same great game, Gabriel!" he said, addressing the Wolf by that name…that name that stirred something in the dark recesses of the _human_ part of him. "But we need not find ourselves on opposite sides of the board…"

The Wolf roared loudly at him, roaring out a challenge. Dracula then metamorphosed into his hell-bat form, and then, the battle between the two creatures began.

---

Anna, Frankenstein, and Alexis clambered to their feet. Suddenly, Aleera exploded from the shadows, flying towards Anna…at least, until Frankenstein grabbed her by the ankles and held her back. She shrieked loudly and struggled madly against Frankenstein's grasp, but the creature was clearly her match. He held tightly to her ankles, allowing both Anna and Alexis to knock the vampiress upside her head, then, he tossed her clear across the room.

"_G__o!_" he yelled to Anna. "_Go and help Van Helsing! Now!_"

Anna nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

For a moment, Frankenstein looked stunned, as if he was unsure as to what to do with the compliment, then, he gave a growl and turned back to the bride. Anna stepped through the shattered pieces of the window until she was balancing on the window ledge. From her precarious perch, she could see Carl right on the precipice of a huge hole in the bridge, staring straight into the abyss below.

"Anna!" he called. "I need a little help!"

She cast a glance back over her shoulder into the tower, where Aleera was currently attacking Frankenstein and Alexis had metamorphosed again and was currently clawing at Aleera and pulling her flaming red hair.

"Hurry!" Carl yelled.

Anna nodded, then grabbed a hanging cable and swung out into the open space. After swinging on that one for while, she let go, soaring unsupported through open air…then, with the acrobatic skills of a true Gypsy, she flipped in midair and caught another cable, continuing to swing across the gorge.

"_Throw it to me, Carl!_" she yelled. Carl nodded, then tossed the syringe towards Anna. She tracked its progress carefully…it was coming closer…She reached out a hand to catch it…only to realize that the gale-force winds had blown it off course…it would miss her outstretched hand by centimeters…

The syringe did indeed brush by the tips of her fingers, and Anna's heart dropped…but then, a white, clawed hand shot out and grabbed the syringe! Glancing to her right, Anna saw Alexis soaring beside her, clutching the syringe. She shoved the syringe into Anna's outstretched hand.

"Get this to Van Helsing!" she yelled over the storm. "He needs it! He's counting on you!"

Anna nodded and kept swinging, watching out of the corner of her eye as Alexis veered right and soared away. Two seconds later, Aleera plowed into Anna from behind, cackling insanely and knocking her off the wire. She slammed into the walls of Castle Dracula, then slid down, towards the abyss. She grabbed a ledge to keep herself from falling all the way, then began to claw her way back to safety.

---

The Wolf watched as Dracula-in his human form once again- pulled free of the rubble he had landed in when the Wolf had pulled him down.

"You are being used, Gabriel; as was I!" he bellowed, his dark-blue eyes watching as the Wolf pulled free from the pile of rubble he was in. "But I escaped! So can you!"

He shifted forms again as the Wolf charged towards him, but the Wolf leapt onto his back as he took to the air. Grabbing onto his shoulders, the Wolf steered Dracula into the rafters repeatedly, pulling at his wings, attempting to tear the tough-but still fragile-wing membrane. He then steered Dracula to the floor, tumbling off his back as Dracula met the floor face-first. He got to his feet, his left wing torn and hanging limply; still, he took to the air again. His torn wing sent him slamming into a piece of equipment, then onto a bridge in the rafters; he switched to his human form again and peered over the edge of the bridge, staring down at the Wolf.

The Wolf snarled; long, sharp, retractable claws sprouted from the tips of his fingers. He reached behind him and dragged his nails down one of the columns. Sparks flew as he sharpened his claws, then, still snarling, he flashed the sharpened claws at Dracula.

Time for things to get serious.

---

Anna scrambled up the ledge as Aleera touched down, instantaneously switching to her human form. Her eyes glowed with blue fire as she approached Anna.

"Anna, my love!" she exclaimed. "It is your blood that shall keep me beautiful! What do you think of _that_?!"

She began to chuckle sadistically again, flashing long fangs. However, her laugh turned into a scream of pain as Anna caught the stake Carl had thrown to her and plunged it straight into the bride's chest.

"I think if you're going to kill someone, kill them!" Anna hissed. "Don't stand there talking about it!"

She twisted the stake in Aleera's chest, and watched as Aleera's skin began to bubble and run, turning to slime before her eyes. After a moment, Aleera exploded in a shower of green slime. The silver stake propelled itself out when she exploded and embedded itself in the wall not two inches from Carl's head. He gave a short gasp; Anna nodded thankfully at him. He returned the nod, and Anna scrambled up the rest of the ledge, heading back towards Castle Dracula.

_Alexis is right…Van Helsing is counting on me…_ she thought. _And I will not let him down!

* * *

**A/N: **First things first...(goes back to part when Gabriel rips his shirt off) Whoot! God, I love that part! (giggles like fangirl) Funny story: This morning, I went downstairs and turned on the TV (like I do every morning while I eat breakfast). After watching the news for a few minutes to find out if I had a snowday or not, I turned it to one station...Van Helsing was on! I kinda already knew it was on-we have a look-ahead guide on our TV-but the funny thing was that when I turned it on, this was about where it was! Needless to say, watching Hugh Jackman rip his shirt off was a nice way to start the morning._

And, is it just me, or does he look cute as a werewolf, too?

Second...I love Anna's advice: "If you're going to kill someone, kill them! Don't stand there talking about it!" Ah, wise words, very wise!

Um...yeah, I think that's about it...I don't have a song or a contest again, so...hope you enjoyed! Please review!


	21. Death of Another

_**A/N: **Two chapters in one day? What's next? The sky falling? The Apocalypse? Pigs tap-dancing on the moon in orange tutus?_

_No...anyways, enjoy the chapter! Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews!_

_**Disclaimer: **If I don't own Van Helsing last time I updated, what makes you think I own it now?

* * *

_Chapter Twenty-One: Death of Another

Dracula began to retreat as the Wolf landed on the bridge in front of him, growling in a low, thundering tone, his yellow eyes flashing with bloodlust.

"Don't you understand?" Dracula asked as he backed up, clutching his limp, injured arm at his side. "We…we could be friends! Partners!" He reached forward and swiped-but missed-at the werewolf's muzzle, angering him more. "Brothers-in-arms!"

His voice deepened drastically with the last statement, and he metamorphosed again. He tried to take flight, but the Wolf caught him by the throat and lifted him high, roaring triumphantly…

Something wasn't right…the Wolf could feel his strength fading. He was losing fur, losing strength, and shrinking…until he was no longer the Wolf, but Gabriel Van Helsing instead, naked save for a pair of shredded trousers that still hung around his waist. He took his hands off Dracula's throat, then, he did what his instincts were screaming at him to do: Get the hell away from Dracula as fast as he could. He leaped over the side of the bridge and backed away across the ruined laboratory.

Above, Dracula regressed into his human form, too. He was aware of some wet and sticky on his face and neck…blood. _His _blood.

He glanced out the large window. The full moon was gone behind the storm clouds for a moment, which explained Gabriel's sudden regression. Then, he smiled down at the hunter.

"Did I mention…that it was _you _who murdered me?" Dracula asked, savoring Gabriel's confused expression. "It must be such a burden…such a _curse_…to be the Left Hand of God…"

Gabriel looked stunned, but that was _nothing _compared to how he felt. _Me? _He asked. _The Left Hand of God? The Archangel Gabriel? It cannot be…Gabriel is a pure and divine creature, one of God's helpers, strongly in His favor…I am nothing more than a _murderer_…_

He suddenly stopped his musings and turned around to find Dracula behind him, leering at him. "All I want is life, Gabriel," he said. "The continuation of my kind. And perhaps-" He held up his right hand, revealing that his ring finger was gone, probably severed centuries ago. "-The return of _my ring_…"

Gabriel glanced down at the dragon-insignia ring on his right hand. Had it once truly belonged to Dracula? And, if so, how did he end up with it?

"Don't be afraid, Gabriel, don't be afraid…" Dracula assured him. "I shall give you back your life…your _memory_…"

Gabriel stopped and shook his head. "Some things are better left forgotten!"

The clouds that had drifted across the moon drifted away, bathing Gabriel in the celestial light. His eyes glowed yellow with feral rage again, and he leapt forward, shedding his skin to become the Wolf again. Dracula had metamorphosed along with him, but the Wolf was quicker: He met Dracula head-on, slammed him up against a piece of machinery, and sank his canines into Dracula's throat. The sharp teeth tore through Dracula's skin and muscle, finally meeting his blood. He pulled away after a moment, listening to Dracula's agonized shrieks. Black blood poured from the wound, and began to drip from his mouth, too. His skin began to burn and shrivel, burning away until there was nothing left but Dracula's charred skeleton.

The Wolf gave a roar of triumph. He had succeeded where everyone else had failed: He had killed Dracula.

The victory was his.

---

Anna charged into the laboratory just before the clock chimed twelve times. There was no Dracula…only Gabriel, now a large, black werewolf, roaring triumphantly in the middle of the destroyed laboratory.

Time seemed to slow down…the world shrunk, so it was only her, the Wolf, and the cure in her hand. His back was to her…he was distracted…she could get the cure into him while he was distracted…

"For God..!" she whispered as she charged forward, towards the Wolf. At the last moment, the Wolf whirled, spotted her coming, and roared loudly. Then, he leaped at her, throwing her backwards. Agony exploded up and down her spine as she was slammed into hard, with the Wolf atop her.

He didn't move in for the kill, though. Anna could see the syringe sticking out of his chest, slowly emptying the cure into his system. She tried to smile, to move, to speak, to do anything…but her muscles refused to obey any commands.

The searing agony began to fade, replaced by a comforting numbness. A warm darkness began to envelope her mind, starting at the very corners and working inward. She could hear things and people nearby, could see colors swirling before her eyes…but she couldn't focus on anything…except the thought that Gabriel had finally defeated Dracula…her family was saved from Purgatory.

_You know…if this is death…_her sluggish mind whispered. _It's…not so bad…it's kind of…comforting…_

Anna could feel the darkness closing in on her. It was calling to her, beckoning for her to come…

She didn't fight it.

---

Alexis raced into the laboratory just as Carl entered from the other side. The Wolf didn't seem to notice either of them; he was too preoccupied with Anna. In the distance, the clock rang out for the twelfth time.

Alexis let a gasp escape her lips. She knew that Dracula was dead…she could feel it. But while he had succeeded in killing Dracula, he had not received the cure in time.

_We've failed…_she thought. _Van Helsing was counting on us…and we failed him._

Carl pulled the stake from within his robes and opened it. "God, forgive me!"

He began to charge towards the Wolf; Alexis stepped out from behind the column she had been behind, prepared to have to stake Gabriel in the heart if Carl failed or was killed…

Just as Carl was about to bring the stake down and plunge it into the Wolf's heart, the Wolf turned and caught his wrist. Carl screamed, but he stopped after a moment; everyone noticed the empty syringe sticking out of his chest. The Wolf tugged it out, letting it drop to the floor, and turned to take a look at Anna. A gasp escaped Alexis's lips at what she saw.

Anna, Princess of the Gypsies, the last of the Valerious, lay on the chaise behind the Wolf. Her eyes were opened wide; she looked as though she'd been surprised by something.

She was dead.

Alexis could feel tears coming to her eyes at the sight of the fallen princess. The Wolf turned back to Carl, whimpering slightly, his ears pressed flat against his head. Carl dropped the stake and stumbled back.

"She's _dead_…" he said in disbelief.

A profound sadness filled the Wolf's eyes. He reached down, picked up the princess, then, once he was cradling her in his massive arms, he threw back his head and howled mournfully to the heavens.

Carl began to cry, and Alexis could feel tears trickling down her face. She wiped at them with her hand-leaving red smears across her skin, as her tears were tears of blood- but more only came to replace them.

The Wolf began to shrink; his dark fur fell away as the cure took effect. A moment later, there was no Wolf…there was only a very distraught Gabriel screaming his heartbroken cries to the heavens. He brought Anna head up so it was resting against his, and he began to sob violently into her dark, curly hair.

"No…_no…_" he sobbed.

Tears continued to stain Alexis's face as she mourned the death of Anna-whom she had thought of as a friend, despite the fact that Gabriel loved her- and as Gabriel's heartbroken cries broke her own heart.

"Gabriel…what have you done?" she whispered, so softly that no one heard her but her.

* * *

_**A/N: **(cries) This part of the movie always makes me want to cry! (sobs and grabs tissue)_

_Yes, I did a part from Anna's perspective as she was dying...they did that in the novelization, and not only is it a good idea, but it's incredibly touching. It almost made me cry at lunch one day when I was reading it. Not to mention, I always feel sooo bad for Gabriel because he's beyond heartbroken..._

_And-did you guys notice-Dracula's dead, but Alexis is still alive! How did that happen? You'll find out soon enough!_

_Okay...this time, I have a contest **and **a song! First off, the contest: Another thing some of you may've noticed-when Alexis cried, she was crying blood. No, that doesn't mean something's wrong with her...it's a vampire thing! But tell me...where'd I get THAT idea from? First person to tell me the correct answer will get a chapter dedication!_

_And as for the song...the song is **Breathe No More **by (in my opinion) the best band in the world, **Evanescence. **It truly fits the situation and therefore, I dedicate it to the late, great Anna Valerious..._

I've been looking in the mirror for so long  
That I've come to believe my soul's on the other side  
All the little pieces falling, shatter  
Shards of me, too sharp to put back together  
Too small to matter  
But big enough to cut me into so many little pieces  
If I try to touch her

And I bleed  
I bleed  
And I breathe  
I breathe no more

Take a breath and I try to draw from my spirit's well  
Yet again, you refuse to drink like a stubborn child  
Oh, lie to me  
Convince me that I've been sick forever  
And all of this will make sense when I get better  
But I know the difference  
Between myself and my reflection  
I just can't help but to wonder  
Which of us do you love?

So I bleed  
I bleed  
And I breathe  
I breathe no-

Bleed  
I bleed  
And I breathe  
I breathe  
I breathe  
I breathe no more

_As always, you don't have to agree with me, but in this instance, you probably will. Thank you for reading (even though it was sad) and please review!_


	22. Brighter Side of Death

_**A/N: **Hello everyone! Yeah, this chapter didn't take me too long...it's shorter than the others, I know, but I promise the next chapters will be longer, much longer! Thanks to **VintageLyre, musiclover209, Aviarianna O Lorien, Kairi's-twin, LuNa LlEna, **and my new reviewer **wolvernaire **for reviewing! _

_Chapter Contest Answer: I got the crying-blood thing from Anne Rice(though I got another answer that I considered, I was really thinking Anne Rice). **Wolvenaire **gave me the first correct answer! Congratulations!_

_**Disclaimer: **Still don't own Van Helsing, otherwise I would be screaming it to the Heavens-and have made a sequel by now!

* * *

_

**This chapter is dedicated to wolvenaire, my contest winner! Congratulations!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Brighter Side of Death

Gabriel stepped back through the icy gates, back into Manor Valerious, clutching Anna to his chest. Tears streaked his face, along with dried tears he had already shed.

Carl stepped through the gates behind Gabriel, then placed a comforting hand on Gabriel's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Van Helsing," he said, tears choking his voice. "She was truly a remarkable woman."

Frankenstein staggered through the gates right behind Carl. "Yes," he said. "She was remarkable. She will be sorely missed."

Gabriel nodded mutely. No words could console him…the woman he had loved had sacrificed her life to save his. Because of him, an innocent woman was dead.

_No, not one innocent woman, _his conscience nagged. _Two. You killed Dracula, who sired Alexis. Remember: 'If we kill him, anything bitten by him or created by him will also die'. If Dracula died, then Alexis did too…_

"Oh, God…" he whispered. "Not her too…"

"What? What is it?" Carl asked.

"Alexis…Carl, Dracula turned her into a vampire. I killed Dracula…which meant Alexis died with him…" More guilt and sorrow filled Gabriel's heart; his shoulders shook as his sobs redoubled. "Now…two innocent women are dead…by my hands…by my actions…"

He lowered his head until it was resting on top of Anna's head, then, he let the tears come. Frankenstein bowed his head respectfully, while Carl said a Latin prayer, praying that Alexis's soul may find and know peace. Gabriel listened, appreciating his friends' thoughtfulness. He knew that that was the most they could do; without Alexis's body, they couldn't give her a proper funeral.

_But we can give Anna one… _he thought, looking down at the princess in his arms, still beautiful, even in death. _She gave so much…she deserves a proper farewell._

"We should give Anna a funeral," Carl said, echoing Gabriel's thoughts.

Gabriel nodded. But…where to hold her farewell? No place he could think of seemed good enough…

_I've never been to the sea…I'll bet it's beautiful…_Anna's words-the ones from that night outside Castle Frankenstein-came to Gabriel's mind. _I've never been to the sea…_

"There's only one place we can hold her funeral," he said.

---

The day dawned, cool and clear, over the Black Sea, staining the dark waters gold. Gabriel approached the pyre, bearing a lit torch. It was time to say farewell…yet he didn't want to let her go.

_Fate is cruel…_he concluded. _I wished to give her a life free of having to worry about evil and ancient curses…a life with me…but she was torn from my grasp before I could. But at least she knew I loved her…_

She lay there, on the pyre he had built, looking as though she was merely sleeping peacefully. She wore a beautiful black dress embroidered with gold thread, and her dark curls framed her pale face. Still beautiful, even in death…Gabriel's heart ached at the sight of her.

Carl continued to read from the Bible, the sounds of his Latin prayers filling the air. Gabriel bowed his head, allowing more tears to stain his face.

There was only one last thing to do.

---

From his small, makeshift raft out on the Black Sea, Frankenstein glanced over his shoulder. He watched as Gabriel set the torch to the pyre, then stepped back to let the flames consume it.

_Sacrifice… _he thought. _It's all about sacrifice. Father sacrificed his life to give me mine. Anna sacrificed her life to spare Van Helsing's._

As he turned away and continued rowing out to sea, he vowed to not let his father's sacrifice to be in vain.

He could only pray Gabriel would do the same.

---

The pyre burned, the flames warming his face. Tendrils of smoke drifted from it, dancing around the cliffside. Gabriel's head remained bowed, tears falling from his bloodshot eyes.

Suddenly, he felt something lift his chin. He could swear he felt someone's gentle touch brush his face; he swore he heard Anna's voice in the wind, calling his name.

Drawn by an irresistible urge, he walked to the cliff's edge. The smoke drifted out, over the sea, up to the clouds…then, the clouds parted to reveal Anna!

No…not just Anna…there were more people. Gabriel could make out Velkan, Boris, a woman he assumed to be Anna's mother, and others…so many others. Anna's entire family was there, reuniting amongst the clouds.

She embraced a few of them, then turned to look upon Gabriel. A single tear trickled down her face…she didn't want to leave him, but she was joyous about reuniting with her family.

_I love you…forever…_

As he watched in awe, Anna and the rest of her family ascended, up past the clouds, up to Heaven. Then, the clouds closed once more.

Carl approached Gabriel from behind and placed a hand on his shoulder. Gabriel could see it in his eyes…Carl had seen it too. Then, Carl removed his hand, heading back towards the pyre, which was beginning to burn out. Gabriel let a small smile cross his lips, then, he placed his hat upon his head and sighed.

_She'll never leave me, _he thought as he followed Carl towards the magnificent black horses…the Transylvanian horses. He mounted his horse, glanced back to make sure Carl had mounted his, then flicked the reins.

It was time for Gabriel Van Helsing to ride again.

* * *

_**A/N: **Ohhh, I love the end of the movie! It's always so touching and so inspirational! Especially when Van Helsing rides off into the sunrise(I think it's sunrise; it could be sunset, I dunno-and I don't really care, to be honest) But I swear they SO left it open for a sequel! (shakes fist at sky) Curse you, Stephan Sommers for not making a friggin sequel yet!_

_Anyways...yeah, this is the end of the movie-but not the end of the fanfic! There's more yet to come...but from here on out, the plot itself will be entirely fan-based. You still got to find out how Alexis is still alive, despite Dracula's death!_

_And...to make up for the fact that the chapter is really short, I have a song for you! It's called **"All Around Me" **by **Flyleaf **and it always reminds me of the end of the movie, where Van Helsing can literally feel Anna "all around him". Lyrics below, enjoy!_

My hands are searching for you  
My arms are outstretched towards you  
I feel you on my fingertips  
My tongue dances behind my lips for you

This fire rises through my being  
Burning I'm not used to seeing you

I'm alive  
I'm alive

I can feel you all around me  
Thickening the air I'm breathing  
Holding on to what I'm feeling  
Savoring this heart that's healing

My hands float up above me  
And you whisper you love me  
And I begin to fade  
Into our secret place

The music makes me sway  
The angels singing say we are alone with you  
I am alone and they are too with you

I'm alive  
I'm alive

I can feel you all around me  
Thickening the air I'm breathing  
Holding on to what I'm feeling  
Savoring this heart that's healing

And so I cry  
The light is white  
And I see you

I'm alive  
I'm alive  
I'm alive

I can feel you all around me  
Thickening the air I'm breathing  
Holding on to what I'm feeling  
Savoring this heart that's healing

Take my hand  
I give it to you  
Now you own me  
All I am  
You said you would never leave me  
I believe you  
I believe

I can feel you all around me  
Thickening the air I'm breathing  
Holding on to what I'm feeling  
Savoring this heart that's healed

_There you go! Flyleaf's a pretty cool band, and I do like this song. I've seen them in concert before, too...anyways, as always, you don't have to agree, this is only my own personal opinion. Thanks for reading! Reviews are welcomed and encouraged(and they might make a chapter come out faster!)_


	23. Chronicles of an Archangel

_**A/N: **Hey guys! Yeah, I know, I've been updatng this story a lot lately. That's because I've got it all planned out! This chapter is the start of the part where the plot is entirely fan(that would be me)-based. Anyways, I'm sure you don't care...thanks to **Kairi's-twin, musiclover209, **and **LuNa LlEna **for the reviews!_

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Van Helsing...but from here on out, the plot is MINE, suckas!

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_Chapter Twenty-Three: Chronicles of an Archangel

Alexis cautiously glanced around her room-simply out of habit, though, as Castle Dracula had been empty since its master's demise-then pulled the loose stone from the wall. She reached into the little niche she had created, then pulled out the book she had swiped from Dracula's library a week or so ago. A fine layer of dust had gathered on the cover, which she sent flying with a simple breath.

"Gabriel Van Helsing…" she whispered to the book's spine. That seemed to be the "magical word"; the same title blossomed across the cover in blood-red ink. Alexis opened the book, then flipped past the friar's entry to the next page. She was quite surprised when she saw who had penned the next entry:

_Journal of Count __Vladislaus__Dragulia  
__Castle Dracula  
__11__th__ December, 1499_

_I was visited by my Master, Lucifer, today, and I received the most…_intriguing _news from him. He told me that the one who struck me down-the Archangel Gabriel-was being reborn as a baby boy to the great Van Helsing lineage._

_It is most intriguing, I will say. Shortly after my death, I learned that my dear friend, Gabriel de Flynn-the one who struck me down-was an incarnation of the Archangel! He died shortly after I did, __struck__ down in battle by a Turk. At one time, I would have devastated, but now I only say that serves him right._

_I must now seek out this Van Helsing family. I must mark them as my enemies. __Particularly the child that will soon come to them-Gabriel Van Helsing._

Alexis's brow furrowed as she read. She could recall seeing Gabriel de Flynn somewhere before…it was in Dracula's blood, in his memories, which she had received from feeding on him. He was also an incarnation of the Left Hand of God?

"Fascinating…" she whispered, turning the page. Another entry caught her eye, and she stopped to read it:

_Journal of __Cordelia__ Van Helsing  
__Van Helsing Manor; Bucharest, Romania  
__23__rd__ April, 1500_

_Dearest Journal,_

_I am weary as I write this…but, at the same time, I am overjoyed as what has happened__ today._

_No more than an hour ago, I gave birth to a beautiful little boy. Randolph was so proud, as was Brother Andreas, who has been staying in town since November._

_I still remember the day when Brother Andreas came. It was mid-November, and I had only just found out I was with child. He came to our doorstep, raving madly about how he was visited by the Left Hand of God, and how the archangel told him I was to give birth to his next human incarnation. I feared he was quite mad-until the Archangel Gabriel himself appeared to us all! I was so terribly frightened, but he assured me that everything would be fine. He told me everything, and, by the end, I was weeping-but my tears were not of sorrow; rather, they were of joy. This must be how the Blessed Virgin Mary felt when she was told she would bear the Son of God!_

_My little boy is sleeping, now, safe and sound nearby. He looks like an angel when he sleeps-which means he truly can be no one but the Left Hand of God._

_As instructed, I named him Gabriel. However, I made his middle name William-the name of my beloved father. He died when I was naught but a young girl, and I miss him terribly. I know he is smiling down upon me, though, __he__ and Mother both._

_I also know that dear Gabriel will be a great warrior one day. One day, his name will be on the lips of all; they will speak of Gabriel William Van Helsing, the great hunter and warrior-_

_Oh, dear! Gabriel has awoken and cries for me! I must go attend to him-_

Alexis closed the book, making sure her fingers marked the page she was reading, and she crossed the room and climbed into her coffin.

"This book is absolutely fascinating…" she murmured aloud. "No sense in being uncomfortable while I read…"

She thumbed through more entries, most either belonging to Brother Andreas, Cordelia, Randolph, or Dracula, until she came across one in handwriting foreign to her. She stopped to take a closer look:

_Journal of Gabriel Van Helsing  
__Van Helsing Manor; Bucharest, Romania  
__April 23__rd__, 1513_

_So many thoughts are running through my mind; so many emotions cloud my soul. I am trying to make sense of what I have just heard, but…I feel I am failing spectacularly. Perhaps I should simply start at the beginning…_

_Today, I turned thirteen. In the eyes of my parents, I am a man now, and ready to join Father when he hunts vampires and werewolves. I simply cannot wait!_

_We all celebrated: Mother, Father, my dear baby sister Catherine, and I. After the celebration, however, Mother and Father took me aside while Mary, one of our maidservants, supervised Kitty so she wouldn't get into trouble._

_I was curious as to why they took me aside…Then, they replaced my curiosity with confusion when they told me I was some kind of human incarnation of the Archangel Gabriel! I did not __believe them at first…I thought they were teasing me. But they assured me it was the truth-they had heard it from the Archangel himself! Now, I am unsure as to what I should believe…_

_I asked if I was allowed to tell Kitty-what a surprise that would be for her!-but __Father forbade me from telling her. He said that, at only eight years old, she was too young to understand…I was told they would likely tell her when she turned ten…_

Alexis's brow knit again. In these old journal entries, Gabriel spoke of family…but she had heard him say that he wasn't sure he had a family…

"The plot thickens…" she murmured, leafing through more pages, until another entry caught her eye. On this particular page, the ink was smeared in places, as though it had been touched while wet…or perhaps _cried _on? Alexis stopped to read the entry:

_Journal of Gabriel Van Helsing  
__Werewolfe__ Inn; __Targoviste__, Romania  
__31__st__ October, 1525_

_Gone._

_My whole world is gone._

_I cannot describe the grief that consumes my soul. It is as though my heart has been torn from my chest._

_We were celebrating Catherine's twentieth birthday when someone came knocking at the door. Our new maidservant, __Anicka__, left to answer it…The next thing we heard was a terrible screaming coming from the front door._

_We all rushed to the front door…only to find __Anicka__ at the feet of a pale, raven-haired man, clearly dead. With the man was a black-haired woman in a skimpy, __provocative__ dress. The both were wiping blood from their lips._

_The man grinned as he saw us…particularly when he saw me. "Hello, Gabriel," he said. "You do remember me, right?"_

_I didn't at first…but the Archangel provided me with memories of him. This man had been friends with the Archangel's past incarnation, but now, __Vladislaus__ Dracula was nothing more than a cold-blooded killer._

_What happened next can only be described as…as a massacre. Before any of us could react, Dracula had torn out Father's throat, and was currently suckling away at the throat of a struggling servant. His companion was draining Mother of her blood; the other servants had fled the manor, leaving us to fend for ourselves._

_We fought as best as we could, but Dracula managed to sink his fangs into Catherine's throat and drain her to the point of death. This angered me beyond comprehension; in my anger, I grabbed a poker from the fireplace and shoved it through Dracula's heart. It failed to kill him, but it still caused him and his harlot to flee._

_The wound on Catherine's throat was large, red, and still oozing blood, contrasting with her now-pale skin. I dropped to be by her side, and I cradled her in my arms, pleading her not to die._

_She gently stroked my face. "I…I l-__luh__-love you…G-Gabriel…y-you are t-__tuh__-truly my h-hero…I-I love you, b-brother…"_

_The light left her eyes, __then__…she was dead._

_I couldn't stop the tears, I let them come. They came steadier when I realized what I had to do…Dracula had bit her…I had to make sure she couldn't come back to haunt this world as a killer._

_"I am terribly sorry," I sobbed softly as I drove the stake through her heart._

_I have fled to __Targoviste__ for the time being. But I swear I shall hunt Dracula down and make him pay for what he has done to my family…_

A cold, red tear landed on the back of her hand as she finished reading the entry. In one night, Gabriel's entire family had been slaughtered…leaving him alone in the world. But…Alexis now thought she understood Dracula's anger towards Gabriel…as well as anger towards Dracula from Gabriel.

"Revenge…" she whispered. "It's all about revenge…"

---

Gabriel and Carl slipped into the confessional booth. The cardinal behind the wooden screen told them that Cardinal Jinette was in his office, and was expecting them. He tried to pry more information from the hunter, but a single glare shut him up.

Gabriel and Carl slipped into the cardinal's office. As usual, he was behind his desk, looking over some papers. He set them aside, however, when the two men entered.

"Did you defeat him?" Jinette asked tersely, not bothering with time-wasting pleasantries.

"Yes," Gabriel responded in a flat monotone. "Dracula is no more."

"And the princess..?" Jinette asked.

Gabriel refused to meet Jinette's eye. Carl spoke up for his friend, "She…she died…"

Jinette sighed heavily. "Before or after Dracula was vanquished?"

"After…" Carl responded sadly.

Jinette sighed again, shaking his head. "Tragic…but her bloodline was saved, and Dracula is dead. That is all that matters-"

"All that matters?" Gabriel whispered, a hint of anger in his voice. "All that matters? The princess is _dead. _Or did you not happen to catch that, Cardinal?"

Jinette seemed rather taken aback. "Yes, I heard she was dead. You must learn to control your tongue and your temper, Van Helsing-"

Gabriel's hands clenched into fists at his sides, his nails digging into his rough, calloused palms. "_Control my temper? _Your Eminence, Princess Anna was _killed. _The entire Valerious family is _dead. _You act as though you don't care at all..!"

"Her family may be dead," Jinette said calmly. "But they have been redeemed from Purgatory."

"_I don't care that they've been redeemed!!_" Gabriel yelled, bringing a fist down hard on Jinette's desk. "The only woman I ever loved is dead!"

Jinette's eyebrows nearly climbed to his hairline. "You _loved _her?"

"Yes."

"Then there is your problem. You let your love for her distract you from keeping her safe. You became careless. And because of your carelessness, she lost her life. Perhaps if you had been a little more _focused _on your assign-"

That was it. That was the straw that broke Gabriel's back. Every part of him wanted to lash out verbally and physically at Jinette, to make the arrogant cardinal even experience a _fraction _of the pain he was feeling-even if he could only make Jinette feel it physically and not emotionally. However, he knew that maiming the cardinal wouldn't go over too well, so he instead spun and stormed out of Jinette's office while he was in the middle of his sentence.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jinette snapped. "I am not finished with you, Van Helsing!"

Gabriel glared over his shoulder at the cardinal. "Yes…but I do believe _I'm _finished with _you_!"

He left the office and headed down the hallway, towards his own quarters. Anger and rage dwelled within him, threatening to make his temper explode.

_I'm tired of being who you want me to be  
__Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface  
__Don't know what you're expecting of me  
__Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes  
__(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)  
__Every step that I take is another mistake to you  
__(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)_

His hands clenched even tighter at his sides. Jinette really had some nerve, telling him that if he had completely ignored Anna, if he hadn't gotten _careless_, she might still be alive…

_I've become so numb  
__I can't feel you there  
__Become so tired  
__So much more aware  
__I'm becoming this  
__All I want to do  
__Is be more like me  
__And be less like you_

_Can't you see that you're smothering me?  
__Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control  
__'Cause __everything that you thought I would be  
__Is falling apart right in front of you  
__(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)  
__Every step that I take is another mistake to you  
__(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)  
__And every second I waste is more than I can take_

Gabriel wasn't quite paying attention, but somehow, he stumbled across a window that looked to the outside, to St. Peter's small garden. It was beautiful, but the beauty seemed strangely wasted to him…

_I've become so numb  
__I can't feel you there  
__Become so tired  
__So much more aware  
__I'm becoming this  
__All I want to do  
__Is be more like me  
__And be less like you_

He turned away from the window and kept walking towards his room, in the dormitory wing of the Basilica.

_And I know  
__I may end up failing too  
__But I know  
__You were just like me  
__With someone disappointed in you!_

Gabriel slammed the door to his room behind him and leaned against it. His fists clenched even tighter, so that his nails were threatening to draw blood, and he fought to keep from yelling his anger aloud.

_I've become so numb  
__I can't feel you there  
__Become so tired  
__So much more aware  
__I'm becoming this  
__All I want to do  
__Is be more like me  
__And be less like you_

_I've become so numb  
__(I can't feel you there)  
__Tired of being what you want me to be  
__I've become so numb  
__(I can't feel you there)  
__Tired of being what you want me to be_

Everything-all the stress of the past few weeks, his transformation, Alexis's death, Anna's death, Jinette's tirade-was just too much. Gabriel let himself slide down his door, until he was sitting on the floor, then, he let the tears come like much-needed rain on a drought-ridden valley.

* * *

_**A/N: **Okay, there's a lot I want to say..._

_First off, I know that-to those of you have read my other Van Helsing fanfic, Night Warriors-Van Helsing's past may sound awfully familiar to the version I used in Night Warriors...that's because it is, pretty much. This story is not connected to Night Warriors, however...notice four subtle differences between the big death-of-the-family scene here and there:  
**Difference #1: Here, Dracula and Verona**(otherwise known as the "harlot" wearing the "skimpy and provocative dress") **killed Gabriel's family. There, it was just two random guys mad about the death of their brother.  
Difference #2: Here, Gabriel's family was killed on All Hallows' Eve 1525. There, they were killed six years later, on All Hallows' Eve 1531.  
Difference #3: Catherine's cause of death is different. Here, she died from blood loss caused by a vampire bite. There, she was stabbed in the stomach with a sword. Either way, still a painful way to go...  
Difference #4: Here, Gabriel's entire family died. There, Catherine was actually brought back as a fallen angel-which means there, Gabriel didn't stake her through the heart to make sure she wouldn't come back.  
**And I'm not sure if Targoviste and Bucharest were seperate places or the same place. If they were the same place, kindly point it out to me in a review-do NOT flame me about it. I'm a high schooler; I'm not always going to be right!_

_Second-yes, I purposefully made Jinette a-to put it nicely-jerk. I never liked the guy, and I can tell Van Helsing ain't a huge fan of him. But let me tell you...Van Helsing is kinda scary when he gets mad..(flees in terror)_

_Third-did you guys like the little song I put at the end? I thought it went with him very well, particularly after his little face-off with Jinette. And, as my next contest, I'd like you to tell me the name of the song and the band that does the song. First person to give me the correct answer gets a chapter dedication!!!_

_Thanks for reading! Please review, guys; reviews make my day(and night!)!_


	24. Succumb to Bloodlust

_**A/N: **Hello everyone!!! I really want to say thanks to everyone: **Thanks to you guys, I broke the 100 review-mark! **So, big thanks and hugs to everyone who reviewed my story ever, and thanks to **VintageLyre, Kairi's-twin, Aviarianna O Lorien, musiclover209, **and **Luna Llena711 **for reviewing!_

_PS: Here's the answer to the contest I had last chapter: The song used is "Numb" by Linkin Park! _

_**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own Van Helsing, sadly enough._

_

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_

**_This chapter is dedicated to VintageLyre, my contest winner!

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_**Chapter Twenty-Four: Succumb to Bloodlust

With the leather-bound volume tucked safely under her arm, Alexis retraced the steps that taken her to Dracula's library that one day. It had been a while; it was nearly one month to the day since Gabriel had killed Dracula, and she had found the library roughly a week before that…

Her vision flickered slightly; the floor seemed to lurch sickeningly. She stumbled, and only her hand grabbing the wall prevented her from hitting the floor.

It had started with a slight headache about a week ago. She had thought nothing of it then, but now it had escalated to a constant pounding in her skull. Along with it came dizziness and nausea, and a strange, painful ache in her stomach. For periods of time, she found herself unable to think clearly at all. She even came over faint the other day!

_Something's wrong with you… _her mind nagged.

She shook her head. "No. There's nothing wrong with me. Vampires…don't get sick…"

She straightened up, then continued down the hallway until she came across the abandoned hallway she'd first discovered the library in. The door was still broken, just as she had left it; she pushed the door open, set the book on the table, then slumped in the wingback chair before the table, rubbing her forehead. "Gabriel Van Helsing…"

The red ink blossomed across the cover, and she opened the book, flipping past previously-read entries. She was far into the book now, roughly around the beginning of the decade…

_Journal of Gabriel Van Helsing  
__Somewhere outside of Rome; Italy  
__20__th __January__, 1881_

_It all comes down to this._

_Three hundred and fifty-six years of tracking, of laying in wait patiently, and it all comes down to this._

_Strangely enough, though, it has been over three centuries, yet I have changed very little. I appear a bit older; I look to be about thirty to anyone who sees me…oh, if only they knew the truth! But, aside from that, I remain untouched by time__…I suspect it is the spirit of the Archangel…_

_I have tracked Dracula here, to Rome-not too far from the Vatican City. What he would want in a city as holy as the Vatican is anyone's guess. But I'm here for one purpose, and one purpose alone: To destroy Dracula once and for all._

_May God be with me._

Alexis glanced to the adjoining page, hoping for an in-depth description of the battle. However, the adjoining page was inexplicably missing, torn from the book, leaving only a rough, jagged edge. There was, however, an entry beneath that:

_Journal of Van Helsing  
__St. Peter's Basilica; Vatican City  
__13__th __February__, 1881_

_Emptiness._

_Nothingness._

_That's all I ever get when I try to think back. The cardinals here keep insisting on knowing who I am, where I come from…but I remember nothing__ of who I was._

_I remember a few things from right before I woke up here. I remember blood, lots of it…was it all my own? And pain…so much pain…where did it come from? Who caused it? Then, I remember __distant __voices__ and blurred shapes…and then there was nothing but blackness._

_According to one of the men who's been watching over me-a queer and peculiar little friar by the name of Carl-I was found face-down, attempting to crawl up the stairs of the basilica, barely alive and covered in blood. They took me in, doubtful I would live through the night. I defied their expectations and lived, however…I spent the next week and a half in a comatose state, but I still lived._

_All my memories have been taken from me. I know nothing of my life, my family…even of myself. All I remember is a name: Van Helsing. Is it my own? I know not, but, for now, it is what I go by. And yet…while my memory is gone, I can do incredible things. I can read and write in English, Spanish, French, German, Latin…even Romanian! And I can hunt…I can fight…I have learned this from the tests these men have put me through-_

Alexis didn't finish the entry. She suddenly doubled over in pain, wrapping her arms around her stomach. Her fangs pressed into her lower lip as she suppressed a scream…she felt as though her stomach was trying to tear itself apart. Her body began to convulse violently; her stomach lurched, but, because she hadn't eaten anything in-had it been over a month?- all that happened was she dry-heaved several times. She slid from the chair to the floor, still doubled over. The pain was going to drive her to insanity…

With a _splat_, something trickled from her lips and hit the floor. Blood…She raised a hand to her lips, only to find them wet with blood.

_I must have bit down too hard and bit my lip… _she realized. Her tongue flickered out to quickly wipe the blood from her lips.

The taste of her blood exploded on her tongue. Its sweet, iron tang tantalized her senses and her tongue. The blood had to be the best thing she had ever tasted…it was sweet ambrosia…

"Blood…" she whispered as it dawned on her. "I need blood…"

---

The air was cool as she emerged from the hidden "passageway" that took her from Castle Dracula into the laboratory of an abandoned castle…the laboratory at Castle Frankenstein.

"So…_that's _how that bloody bugger traveled between the castles…" she murmured as she crossed to the large arched windows. Ordinarily, she would have taken the time to walk down to the entrance and leave that way. However, her craving for blood was too strong…she needed it _now_. Without warning, she leapt from the window, plummeting quickly-but gracefully-to the base of the castle. She crept to the gates and slipped out, keeping in the shadows, drawn by a maddening, ravenous hunger…

Two laughs-one high and shrill, the other low and deep-shattered the tranquility of the night. A young couple came wandering towards where she stood, taking a night stroll.

"Tomais…I don't think we should be near this place…" the girl said, sounding worried. "Wasn't this the place where that insane, grave-robbing doctor used to live?"

"It is, Iyara…but he was killed a year ago!" Tomais reassured her. "We needn't worry about him!"

"But what about that other…man…Count Dracula?"

"Iyara, he was killed by Van Helsing a month ago. He'll never more trouble our dear village! Van Helsing sent his damned and blackened soul to Hell for good!"

"So, it's safe here?" Iyara asked.

Tomais put a hand to his heart. "On my honor, or may I die a horrible and painful death!"

Iyara giggled girlishly. "Oh, well, now, we wouldn't want that, now would we?" she whispered breathlessly, her voice taking on a more seductive and lustful tone.

_They'll never see, I'll never be  
__I'll struggle on and on to feed this hunger  
__Burning deep inside of me_

Alexis could stand it no longer. She wandered from the shadows, drawn by bloodlust to the young couple. Her sudden appearance startled the two lovers.

"Oh! Oh my!" Iyara squealed. "Well, Tomais, I do believe we've been caught!"

Tomais grinned good-naturedly at Alexis. "You know, I don't recall ever meeting you before. Are you from the village?"

Alexis didn't say anything. Instead, she simply continued to approach the couple, driven by bloodlust, hunger burning in her icy-blue eyes. The now-nervous couple moved to leave, but, before they could, Alexis sprang forward, grabbed Tomais by the wrist, and sank inch-long fangs into his neck.

_They'll never see, I'll never be  
__I'll struggle on and on to feed this hunger  
__Burning deep inside of me_

The rich taste of blood filled her mouth and she eagerly gulped it down. Tomais attempted to fight her as she drank, but, as his blood spilled onto her lips and into her body, his movements became sluggish and weak. His heartbeat slowed to the rate that announced impending death, and Alexis withdrew her fangs, allowing his nearly-drained body to flop limply to the ground.

Iyara's eyes widened in fear as Alexis began to approach her, blood dripping from her lips and staining her clothes, her eyes glowing with an eerie blue fire. "Lord on High…" she whispered, crossing herself. "A v-vampire!"

Alexis didn't hear the accusation, nor did she hear the fervent prayers in Latin and Romanian that followed. Instead, she reached out, grabbed Iyara around the waist, grabbed her blonde hair and yanked roughly, pulling her head back to expose her throat, then drove her fangs deeply into Iyara's throat.

The scream that followed was loud enough to resurrect the dead, it seemed. Many villagers grabbed torches or assorted pieces of farming equipment, then headed towards the direction the scream came from: Castle Frankenstein.

Alexis was oblivious to all this, however, as she continued to drain the lifeblood from the girl. Her screams gradually died down to little whimpers of pain. And, at long last, she was silent as she joined her lover in death. Alexis withdrew her fangs, then threw her head back in exhilaration as the last of the blood trickled down her throat.

"Oh, God, that's _good…_" she hissed.

A loud commotion interrupted her bliss. She glanced towards the commotion and saw villagers pouring from the woods, clutching torches and various tools in their hands. They stopped dead, however, when they saw Alexis standing there, a dead girl in her arms, a dead boy at her feet, blood dripping from her mouth, and icy eyes glaring at them. Murmurs began to echo out from the crowd.

"_Wampyr…Nosferatu…Vampire!_"

It was then that Alexis's clouded mind cleared. She blinked in surprise, her eyes returning to their normal green, then took in the scene: The enraged and frightened crowd. The dead boy at her feet. The dead girl in her arms.

"Oh…oh no…what have I done?" she whispered in panic, dropping Iyara's body. "_What have I done?_"

She glanced fearfully at the villagers, then turned and ran, back though the gates towards Castle Frankenstein. The cries of the villagers continued to echo in her ears: "_Wampyr! Nosferatu! Vampire!_"

And to her, all of them meant the same thing: Monster.

_They'll never see, I'll never be  
__I'll struggle on and on to feed this hunger  
__Burning deep inside of me_

---

A soft sob echoed throughout the near-empty chamber, followed by a shaky sigh. Alexis sat in the corner of her chamber, her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her knees. She stared ahead blankly, blood tears brimming in her eyes.

"Dear God…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "Is this how I'm expected to s-survive? By…by _killing _innocent p-people? No…"

She inhaled sharply to keep herself from bawling like a helpless infant. Her mind and soul swam with guilt…but she didn't know why.

_I thought vampires we supposed to be without guilt, with remorse…_she mused. _Why do I feel this way?_

She suddenly became aware of the tears that were trickling down her face. She swiped them away with her hands, then, she looked down at her hands. They were stained with her tears…and the blood of her victims-innocent blood.

"I'm e-expected to l-live off the b-blood of those a-around me. I'm expected to k-kill in o-order to s-survive…" she sobbed softly. "B-But I d-don't think I can d-do it…I didn't w-want to l-live with guilt like t-this…"

And then, it dawned on her: There was only one thing she could do. There was only one person she could turn to…"

_They'll never see, I'll never be  
__I'll struggle on and on to feed this hunger  
__Burning deep inside of me

* * *

_

_**A/N: **Wow...how was that for you? I kinda hate to admit it, but I actually had a lot of fun writing the scene where Alexis fed from that couple. It was the first time I've ever really wrote an in-depth vampire feeding scene-which is amazing, considering the number of vampire stories I've written since last October-and it was actually pretty fun to imagine how good the blood must have tasted to her. Yeah, I know, freaky, but...whatever. Don't worry, I don't really drink blood. I've had some before(don't worry, it was my own, and it came from losing a tooth when I was in third or fourth grade) and, to be honest, it tasted disgusting. Like licking a penny._

_Second...take a look at the dates on the journal entries towards the beginning of the chapter. I know you're wondering: What's so special about them? Well, I'll tell you: The first date-January 20th-is actually the day of my birthday(the year's different, but the day's the same), and the second date-February 13th-is the date of my best friend Erika's birthday! I just thought I'd be funny and throw those dates in there!_

_Third...yeah, I threw random lyrics in the chapter. No, Alexis isn't singing them...they were thrown in because I thought they'd add a nice touch. I'm not gonna make you guys guess what song they came from, or who wrote the song-I'll just tell you. They're the chorus **of "Lies**" **by Evanescence**. No, not the remix version I had in chapter fourteen, the original version. I've been listening to this song alot, and I thought it would fit Alexis nicely in this chapter. Plus, the way Amy Lee says the line" Burning deep inside of me" in the song sounds really cool! _

_Anyways, thanks for reading! Please review, everyone! Oh, and I have a song for you guys...it also makes me think of Alexis in this chapter. It's called **"The Howling" **by none other than **Within Temptation! **Enjoy the lyrics located below!_

We've been seeing what you want  
You got us cornered right now  
Falling asleep from our vanity  
May cost us our lives

I hear them getting closer  
Their howls are sending chills down my spine  
And time is running out now  
They're coming down the hills from behind

When we start killing  
It's all coming down right now  
From the lie that we've created  
I want to be awaken somehow  
_(I want to be awakened right now)  
_When we start killing  
It all will be falling down  
From the hell that we're in  
All we are is fading away  
When we start killing!

We've been searching all night long  
But there's no trace to be found  
It's like they all have just vanished  
But I know they're around

I hear them getting closer  
Their howls are sending chills down my spine  
And time is running out now  
They're coming down the hills from behind

When we start killing  
It's all coming down right now  
From the lie that we've created  
I want to be awakened somehow  
_( I want to be awakened right now)  
_When we start killing  
It all will be falling down  
From the hell that we're in  
All we are is fading away  
When we start killing!  
When we start killing!

I feel them getting closer  
Their howls are sending chills down my spine  
And time is running out now  
They're coming down the hills from behind

The sun is rising  
The screams have gone  
Too many have fallen  
Few still stand tall  
Is this the ending  
Of what we've begun?  
Will we remember  
What we've done wrong?

When we start killing  
It's all coming down right now  
From the lie that we've created  
I want to be awakened somehow  
_( I want to be awakened right now)  
_When we start killing  
It all will be falling down  
From the hell that we're in  
All we are is fading away  
When we start killing!  
When we start killing!


	25. Deadly Request

_**A/N: **Hi everyone! Yeah, I know: It took me forever and a day to update, and for that, I apologize. School was...well, I'm not even going to go there. But I finally found a few minutes to update!_

_As for thanks...God, I don't know where to start! I got four new reviewers for this chapter! So, I'd like to say "welcome", as give a big old "thank you" to **LarkaFrostfur, Cheatou, Masked Ai, **and **weapon13WhiteFang, **as well as give thanks to **VintageLyre **and **Kairi's-twin. **I'd also like to say welcome back to my bestest buddy, **Dr. Lust**! I missed you like crazy!!!_

_**Disclamer: **Nope, still don't own Van Helsing. However, my birthday's coming soon...and it's a big one this year...who knows what my parents could surprise me with!

* * *

_Chapter Twenty-Five: Deadly Request

The door to the Vatican's ancient library and archive hall creaked loudly as it opened. Carl poked his head into the library, then shuffled into the library, trying to be as quiet as possible.

He was in a conundrum. Cardinal Jinette-whom Gabriel had refused to speak to in over a month-had been sending the hunter out after more and more vampires as of late. And, after looking in the files on vampires the Order kept, he had come to find that at least a third of them had been sired by Dracula.

_But that's impossible…Dracula is dead…they should have been, too. And yet, they are alive- _He paused for a second. _Well, they _were _alive. But…how..?_

"It makes no sense," he concluded aloud, shuffling towards the shelves that contained books on vampires, werewolves, and all other creatures of the occult. To his dismay, however, the vampire books were just barely out of his reach, and there wasn't a ladder in sight. He sighed. "Where's Van Helsing when you need him? He's tall enough to reach those blasted books…"

Unfortunately for Carl, however, he hadn't seen the hunter all day. So, he carefully stepped up on the bottom shelf, then used the bookcase as a ladder, until he reached the shelf of vampire books. He grabbed a few at random from the shelf, but suddenly lost his grip on the shelf and fell. Thankfully, he was only standing on the second shelf, so it was only a short fall. He landed on his backside, with his books raining down into his lap and a few falling on his head.

"Damn it!" he cursed softly. Then, remembering where he was, he glanced around to make sure no one had heard him, then crossed himself, got to his feet, and began to clean up the mess.

---

He idly turned the page, his eyes moving over the words without really taking them in. He had spent the last few hours tediously pouring over the old volumes, trying in vain to figure out why Dracula's fledglings were still alive.

And he was no closer to an answer.

Carl rubbed his chin, which was covered with a three-day growth. All the books said the same thing: If Dracula was killed, anything bitten by him or created by him would also die.

"So why aren't they dead?" he asked aloud. "Why..?"

Carl stood up from his small desk in his cramped quarters and began to pace back and forth, thinking deeply. After a good fifteen minutes' worth of pondering and pacing, an idea came to him.

"Wait a minute…" he thought aloud. "What if…when they said die…they didn't mean _literally?_"

---

"Van Helsing! Van Helsing..!" Carl yelled, bursting into the hunter's quarters. However, as soon as he was inside, he stopped dead and stopped yelling.

The room was empty, meaning Gabriel must have gone somewhere. His hat hung on one of the small bedposts, however, and his duster was draped over a chair at the desk. Wherever he went, he couldn't have gone far…

Carl had never been inside Gabriel's quarters before, and he was surprised. Gabriel's room was exceptionally tidy, unlike his own crowded quarters. The only area of the room that seemed to be the least bit messy was the desk, which was littered with papers. The room's small window was open, letting a slight breeze into the room that rustled the papers slightly.

"He must not be here…" Carl concluded. He was about to leave when a sudden gust of wind came through the window and scattered the papers on the desk, sending many of them to the floor. He hurried over to pick up the papers, lest Gabriel return and think someone had been snooping around amongst his things.

To his surprise, the first thing his hands touched was a photograph of Anna. It looked familiar…it was the one the Order kept in their archives. The princess stared upward boldly, forever frozen in time on that small piece of carbon-paper. A small lump formed in Carl's throat the longer he stared at the photograph, so he placed it back on the desk and reached for another piece of paper.

The paper was covered in tidy, flowing handwriting Carl assumed was Gabriel's handwriting. His curiosity piqued, and he began to read what was written on the paper:

_Give me a reason to believe you're gone  
__I see your shadow, so I know they're all wrong  
__Moonlight on the soft brown earth  
__It leads me to where you lay  
__They took you away from me, but now I'm taking you home_

_I will stay forever here with you  
__My love  
__The softly-spoken words you gave to me  
__Even in death, our love goes on_

_Some say I'm crazy for my love, oh my love  
__But no bonds can hold me from your side, oh my love  
__They don't know you can't leave me  
__They don't hear you singing to me_

_I will stay forever here with you  
__My love  
__The softly-spoken words you gave to me  
__Even in death, our love goes on_

_And I can't love you any more than I do_

_I will stay forever with you  
__My love  
__The softly-spoken words you gave to me  
__Even in death, our love goes on_

_And I can't love you any more than I do  
__People die, but real love is forever_

"Amazing…" he whispered as he finished reading the words that were written. Whatever he had just read-a poem, a song, whatever it was-it was beautifully tragic. Had Gabriel _really_ wrote that?

Another piece of paper caught his eye, covered with the same handwriting as the one he held. He picked it up for a closer look:

_Stay low  
__Soft, dark, and dreamless  
__Far beneath my nightmares and loneliness  
__I hate me  
__For breathing without you  
__I don't want to feel any more  
__For you_

_Grieving for you  
__I'm not grieving for you  
__Nothing real love can't undo  
__And though I may have lost my way  
__All paths lead straight to you_

_I long to be like you  
__Lie cold in the ground like you_

_Halo  
__Blinding wall between us  
__Melt away and leave us alone again  
__We're humming  
__Haunted, somewhere out there  
__I believe our love can see us through  
__In death_

_I long to be like you  
__Lie cold in the ground like you  
__There's room inside for two  
__And I'm not grieving for you  
__I'm coming for you_

_You're not alone  
__No matter what they tell you, you're not alone  
__I'll be right beside you forevermore_

_I long to be like you  
__Lie cold in the ground like you  
__There's room inside for two  
__And I'm not grieving for you_

_And as we lay in silent bliss  
__I know you'll remember me_

_I long to be like you  
__Lie cold in the ground like you  
__There's room inside for two  
__And I'm not grieving for you  
__I'm coming for you_

"Carl…what are you doing in my room?"

Carl yipped in surprise, dropping the papers, and looked over his shoulder. Gabriel was standing in the doorway, a bemused look on his face.

"O-Oh! I'm s-sorry, Van H-Helsing!" he stuttered, trying to gather up all the papers to put them back on the desk. "I-I just c-came to s-see if y-you w-were here…I-I didn't m-mean to p-pry, but t-the wind c-came, and your p-papers…"

The hunter held up a hand to silence Carl's stuttered apology. "It's all right, Carl. I'm not angered with you."

He came to Carl's side and began to help him gather papers. Carl cast a glance at him, then cleared his throat. "Erm…Van Helsing?"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering…did you…did you write these?" he asked, gesturing to the two bittersweet poems he had found.

Van Helsing glanced at them, then looked away, staring quite intently at the papers he was gathering. "Yes…" he said softly. "I wrote them…for A-Anna…"

There was silence for a minute, broken only by a small sigh from Gabriel. Then, Carl spoke again, "Where were you, by the way?"

"The garden," Gabriel responded. "I wanted a place to…to clear my head, and I usually find peace out in that garden…"

They both gathered up the rest of the papers, then Gabriel took the papers and placed them on his desk. Carl was just about to leave when he suddenly remembered why he had sought the hunter in the first place. "Oh! Van Helsing! I had an epiphany!" he blurted out. "You do know that a third of those vampires you've gone after were fledglings of Dracula, right?"

Gabriel shot him a look. "They were?"

Carl nodded. "Yes, they were. And yet, despite Dracula's death, they were still alive…well, at least until you went after them. But what if-when they said 'anything bitten by him or created by him will also die'-what if they didn't mean a _literal _death?"

Gabriel's eyebrows narrowed, creasing his forehead as he did. "Go on…"

"As best as I can tell, when they said 'death' they must have meant it in the figurative sense. What didn't die was the vampires exactly-what did die was the vampires' organization, their secrecy…even the lust for immortal life in some of them! Basically, what died was everything they _were_…" He paused, searching the hunter's stoic face. "At least, as best as I can tell."

A look of understanding came over Gabriel's face, and-was that joy Carl detected in the hunter's eyes?

"That makes sense…" Gabriel said. "And, if that's the case, then that means-"

Suddenly, there came a soft knock at the door. Both men turned to find an unfamiliar friar standing at the door, gazing with respect-and a little fear-at the hunter.

"Ah…Monsieur Van Helsing?" he asked, his voice thick with a heavy French accent. "Zere is a veesitor for you, waiting in ze chapel…"

---

Gabriel entered the vast, empty chapel of the Vatican, looking around for his visitor. A moment later, he spotted a figure of average size shrouded in a black cloak. Their back was to Gabriel, so he couldn't see their face.

He crossed the room to the figure, stopping a few feet from them. "Ah, I was told you were here to see me?"

The figure turned its head at the sound of his voice, then, they turned around completely. Gabriel had to stifle a gasp when he saw that it was none other than Alexis beneath the cloak.

He hadn't seen her in over a month, and he had nearly forgotten what she looked like. But she was even more beautiful this time. Beneath the long cloak that protected her vulnerable skin from the last few rays of the setting sun, she wore an off-the-shoulder white blouse with loose, flowing sleeves, and a blood-red skirt. Over the blouse she wore a black corset that had the outline of a rose embroidered on the side. Black boots clad her feet under her loose skirt. From under her hood, her ebony hair flowed over her shoulders like a waterfall. Her bright green eyes stared sadly at him from her pale face with eyes outlined in dark kohl and lips as red as roses.

"Alexis?" he asked in surprise. He took the last few steps towards her, then he embraced her. He could scarcely believe it…she _was _alive! Carl's theory had been correct!

A moment later, he released her, moving his hands to her shoulders. His hazel eyes stared into her viridian ones. "Alexis…my God, I can't believe you're alive!" He had so many questions for he, he barely knew where to start. "What…what brings you to the Vatican?"

She sighed heavily. "I needed to see you, Van Helsing. I…I can't do it anymore! I can no longer live like this, in this vampiric, ungodly existence…"

Alexis stooped suddenly. It was then that Gabriel noticed the bag at her feet. She unclasped the clasp, opened the bag, and withdrew something. When she straightened up, he saw what she had taken out: A wooden stake, its end sharpened to a deadly point. Gabriel's eyes widened when she held the stake out to him.

"Van Helsing…" she said, her voice soft and pleading. "Please…I want you to drive this stake through my heart…"

* * *

_**A/N: **All right, I know most of you-if not all of you-expected Alexis to go to Van Helsing for help. But I'm betting you guys didn't expect her to ask him to KILL her, huh? So now, Gabriel's got a decision to make: Kill her or try to help her in a way that won't lead to her death. Which do you think he'll choose?_

_Second...well, in case you missed it (though I'm not sure how you could have, considering I stated it right there in the text, but whatever...), I did say how Alexis-and a bunch of Dracula's other fledglings-survived Dracula's death. Who would've thought it would have been as simple as the difference between literal and figurative language? _

_And finally, did you like the two songs I put in there? I don't know why-and maybe it's just me-but I can see Gabriel as the kind of guy to maybe write poetry when he's depressed. Especially after Anna's death...like I said, those are meant to be tributes to the love he and Anna shared, as well as tributes to her death. Anyways...next contest: Tell me the name of one(or both) of the songs, as well as who sings them(and if you can tell me the albums they're from, then there's an added bonus for you!). First people to get the correct answers will get chapter dedications!_

_Well, until next time, I bid you all adieu! Oh, and I have a poll posted on my homepage that's asking for your opinion, and I'd be much obliged if you would take the time to check it out! _


	26. Our Final Farewell

_**A/N: **All right, I know I left a **huge **cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter. And I'm sorry I couldn't resolve it sooner. School was-if possible-even worse than before...I have a **ton **of stuff to do this week. I'll be home early every day except Tuesday, so I may try to sneak in an update if I can, but I'll mostly be studying. As soon as midterms are over, though, I promise I'll try to get back to a normal once-a week or so update._

_In other news...today (January 20th) is my birthday! Sweet Sixteen at long last!! I'm so happy...and that's why I'm giving you guys a new chapter! I'm so happy-plus I have the free time since I refuse to work on my Chemistry midterms review until tomorrow...heh, I'm such a slacker...Anyways, I'll shut up and let you read the chapter!!_

_As always, thanks to **VintageLyre, weapon13WhiteFang, Gem of the Stars, Dr. Lust, LunaLlena711, Kairi's-twin, icydragon14, **and **musiclover209 **for the reviews! You guys make my day!_

_**Disclaimer: **I haven't gotten around to opening my birthday presents yet, but so far, I still don't own the rights to Van Helsing...

* * *

_Chapter Twenty-Six: Our Final Farewell

Gabriel's heart skipped a beat when those words came from Alexis's mouth. For a moment, he couldn't speak, then, he found his voice.

"_What_?" he asked softly.

"I know you heard me, Van Helsing," she said. "I-I want you to kill me. I want you to drive this stake through my heart…"

She forced the stake into Gabriel's hands. He took it and stared down at it. Torrents of thoughts and emotions flooded his mind and soul; after a moment, he finally uttered two words: "I…can't…"

As he watched, Alexis bowed her head. A few red tears escaped her eyes, staining her snowy cheeks.

"P-Please…" she said. Her voice was pleading once more. "P-Please kill m-me…I-I can't l-live like t-this, Van H-Helsing…The b-bloodlust, it's h-horrible…and I k-killed an innocent c-couple…I-I killed t-them and f-fed from t-them…b-but the w-worst p-part is t-that I _l-liked _it…"

Sensing her torment, Gabriel stepped forward and embraced Alexis. She rested her head against his chest, continuing to cry. "I-I don't w-want to l-live like t-this…this d-damned existence…s-stealing the b-blood of the l-living to k-keep myself a-alive…D-Dracula turned m-me against m-my will…p-please, Van H-Helsing…p-please…I _w-want _to die…"

Her words were lost as she began to sob softly into his chest. Gabriel let her cry, gently stroking her back, as he thought it over. His soul was at war: Part of him outright refused to kill Alexis. She may have been a vampire, but she was still an innocent…She didn't deserve to die.

And yet, at the same time, he couldn't stand to see her suffer like that. She wanted to die, and Gabriel hated seeing her so miserable. But, in this soul's war, neither side was winning, or even advancing-he was at an impasse.

Suddenly, there came a loud gasp. He looked up and saw Carl rushing towards them, looking surprised. "Alexis!" he called. "Oh, my God, you're alive! Hah! My theory was right, and-are you all right, Alexis?

He hurried over to them and saw the stake in Gabriel's hand. His blue eyes grew to the size of saucers. "Oh my God! Van Helsing, you're not going to kill her, are you?!"

Before he could answer, Alexis turned her head to look at him. "I-It's all right, C-Carl…I a-asked him t-to. I c-can't l-live like t-this…"

She looked at him, waiting for an answer. He took a few more minutes to think it over, then, choosing his words carefully, he began to speak.

"Alexis…" he started. "I really don't want to stake you through the heart. I…I love you as a sister, or a daughter, and I don't wish for anything bad to happen to you. But…" He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "But…I don't want to see you so miserable…And I've made my decision…I-I'll do it…b-but not now. I-I'll do it at s-sunrise…to give one last night on Earth…"

Alexis nodded gratefully. "Thank you…"

He nodded, then pulled away from her, bowing his head. Tears stung in his eyes; he couldn't believe he had agreed to kill Alexis…

He felt a hand on his sleeve. "Van Helsing..?" came Alexis's soft voice. "I want my last night on Earth to be one I'll never forget…will you spend it with me..?"

He looked into her emerald eyes and nodded. "Yes, I will. Here, come with me…I know someplace I think you'll like…"

---

The Fontana de Trevi, or the Trevi Fountain, as it was better known as, was always a popular attraction in Rome, famous for its intricately carved figures of Poseidon and mystical creatures of the sea. However, now that the sun had been down for a few hours, the fountain was abandoned, the once-crowded square empty of a single soul.

Gabriel led Alexis to Trevi Plaza. For the past few hours, ever since the sun had completely vanished, he had been showing her around the parts of Rome near the Vatican. She had never been to Rome, so Gabriel thought it fitting to show her around.

She sighed at the sight of the magnificent fountain. "It's…beautiful…"

"Indeed, it is," he said as he led her up to it. They both sat along the white marble edge, and Alexis stared into the still water, marveling how it reflected the starry sky.

They sat in silence for a while, then, Alexis produced a coin from a small pouch at her waist. "I've heard the stories…that if you make a wish as you throw your coin into the Trevi Fountain, your wish will come true." She closed her eyes tightly, then, she opened them as she threw the coin over her shoulder. The coin broke the still surface of the water as it landed, making ripples.

Gabriel looked over at her. "What did you wish for?"

Alexis sighed. "I wished I could go back in time, to the day I told you I loved you. I would take back all those hateful accusations, and those hurtful words I said about Anna…in fact, I would take it all back. I would have never told you I loved you. Then, I would have never run away, I would have never trusted Dracula…I would have never let him use me like that…"

She looked bleakly into the fountain. Gabriel looked down into the clear water too, only to find that the water only reflected him and the starry skies. Alexis cast no reflection.

Gabriel placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Alexis…it's not your fault. If anything, it's my fault for hurting you so…"

Alexis shook her head. "No, I overreacted. I should have known you loved Anna. The signs were there…"

She sighed; her next words came softer, so they were barely audible. "Do…do you know what else I wished for? I had a feeling that wish wouldn't come true, so I made another one…"

Gabriel leaned in and spoke softly. "What else did you wish for?"

"I…I wished that I could kiss the most wonderful, heroic, and handsome man I've ever met before I died…"

She looked up at him through thick, dark lashes; her eyes were shy and pleading. A small smile crossed Gabriel's lips. "I think I can do that…"

He shifted so their bodies were nearly touching, then, he gently pressed his lips to hers in a shy, innocent kiss. Her lips were cool, but surprisingly soft against his. He kissed her gently, letting one hand creep around and rest in the small of her back. Her hands moved to the back of Gabriel's head, her fingers weaving themselves into his thick, dark hair. Gradually, the kiss deepened; Gabriel felt Alexis's lips part beneath his own, and he took her offer, allowing his tongue to gently creep into her mouth.

When the need for air-or, at least, Gabriel's need for air, as Alexis didn't need to breathe-became too great, they gently pulled apart. Alexis gazed shyly up at Gabriel again.

"Thank you…" she whispered.

---

Though the sky was still dark, the first traces of dawn could be seen, painting the sky blood-red in the east. Hand-in-hand, Gabriel and Alexis made their way up the steps of St. Peter's Basilica. Gabriel's heart seemed to weigh a ton, weighed down by dread and sorrow as to what he would have to do now that dawn was coming…

They entered the basilica, stopping under the vast glass dome in the center of the hall. Moonlight shone through the dome, causing Alexis's snowy skin to glow, her raven hair to shine, her viridian eyes to gleam, and lending an overall ethereal look to her.

As they entered, Carl hurried towards them from the direction of the dormitories. His robes were rumpled as though he had been sleeping in them, and his brow was knit in worry as to what was to come.

"There you two are…" he murmured distractedly. "Now, Alexis…are you sure this is what you want to do..?"

She nodded resolutely. "I'm absolutely sure. I'd rather die than have to continue living like this…" She looked over at Gabriel, and he reluctantly produced the wooden stake she had given him from within his coat. She nodded once more.

"All right…" she said. "First though…I have some things I wish to give you…"

Gabriel watched as she reached into the small pouch at her waist and produced something small wrapped in a white handkerchief. She gently placed it in Gabriel's palm, her slim fingers unwrapped the white cloth to reveal a silver cross on a black cord.

"I…I wanted to give this to you…" she said, watching as he gently touched the small cross. "My friend, V-Vivian…she gave it to me before I left…I've fallen so far I can't even touch it without suffering…but I want you to have it…keep it with you always…"

Gabriel nodded, a lump beginning to form in his throat. Alexis then reached into the bag at her feet-which had sat undisturbed on the floor of the Vatican all night-and pulled out a centuries-old leather-bound book, which she placed in Gabriel's arm.

"I found this in Castle Dracula," she said. "Van Helsing…this book…it's the key to your past. Who you are, _what _you are, where you come from…it's all in here. All you have to say is your name: _Gabriel Van Helsing. _I want you to use it…I want you to learn your past…"

He nodded again, his throat too tight with held-back emotions to speak. He then turned to Carl, who took both the cross and the book from his hands, and gripped the stake tightly in his right hand. He placed the sharpened tip to Alexis's breast, over her heart; his hand trembled slightly.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked for the last time.

She nodded, her eyes serious. "Please…do this for me. Don't make me have to do it myself…"

He swallowed hard, trying to find his throat of the clogging knot of emotions. He closed his eyes-he didn't wish to see what he was about to do. Then, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he moved the stake out to gain momentum, and, in a single heart-stopping moment, he drove the stake into Alexis's chest, feeling it break the skin to pierce her heart.

* * *

_**A/N: **Heh, heh...(looks around nervously) Yes, I know you guys didn't want to Gabriel to agree to killing Alexis...but...he did what he had to...(nervous laugh) You guys are all going to kill me, aren't you?_

_Well, before you kill me, I shall leave you with a song. I was listening to it while typing this chapter and it really made me think of Alexis...it's called **"Farther Away" **by **Evanescence. **It's not one of their better-known songs, but it is on their **"Anywhere But Home" **album...that's the live one...it's pretty good and it makes me think of Alexis. So...enjoy..._

I took their smiles and I made them mine  
I sold my soul just to hide the lie  
And now I see what I really am  
A theif, a whore, and a liar!

I run to you  
_Run away from this hell  
_Call out your name  
_Giving up, giving in  
_I see you there  
_Still you are  
_Farther away

I'm numb to you, numb and deaf and blind  
You give me all but the reason why  
I reach, but I feel  
Only air at night  
Not you, not love  
Just nothing

I run to you  
_Run away from this hell  
_Call out your name  
_Giving up, giving in  
_I see you there  
_Still you are  
_Farther away

Try to forget you  
Though without you, I feel nothing  
Don't leave me here, by myself  
I can't breathe

I run to you  
_Run away from this hell  
_Call out your name  
_Giving up, giving in  
_I see you there  
_Still you are  
_Farther away

Father away...

_Right..I shall be running now, should any of you decide you want to kill me...SEE YA!!! (flees)_


	27. Goodbye, Cruel World

_**A/N: **(nervously peeks head around corner) Hi guys...well, I have to say, after the way the last chapter ended, I really expected a lot of hate-reviews from you guys...instead I made everyone cry...I'm really sorry about that, but...it's really for the best, I promise! _

_But...surprise, surprise! I managed to update even though it's midterms week! See, I finished my Theatre midterm with roughly about fourty-five until I had to go take my next one. Then, today, I finished my Spanish midterm with a full hour left over! So, while I was waiting, I managed to finish this. And, since I have no homework and I don't need to study much for tomorrow's midterms-they're two of my easiest classes-I thought I'd reward everyone for their patience with an update! So, as always, thanks to **icydragon14, VintageLyre, Gem of the Stars, weapon13WhiteFang, Kairi's-twin, LunaLlena711, **and, last but certainly never least, my dearest friend **Dr. Lust **for their kind-and very sad and heartbroken-reviews!_

_**Disclamer: **Sadly, I didn't recieve the rights to Van Helsing for my Sweet Sixteen...so I'm going to go sit in a dark corner and curse the fates for being so cruel XD

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_Chapter Twenty-Seven: Goodbye, Cruel World

A loud scream, unearthly in tone and sounding almost bestial, pierced the air within St. Peter's Basilica. Carl winced and pressed his hands to his ears, and Gabriel opened his eyes the tiniest bit-only to instantly wish he hadn't.

Alexis's face was contorted with the utmost agony and suffering. Her hands clutched the stake driven deep into her heart, and black blood poured from the wound, staining the white fabric of her blouse and dripping to the floor. The sight made Gabriel sick to his stomach.

_My God…what have I done? _He wondered as he fought back the nausea rising within him.

Alexis's screams gradually grew weaker the more blood she lost. Her bloodless skin paled to a deathly-white shade and she swayed weakly, on the verge of collapsing completely.

Her knees did give out, and she began to collapse. Gabriel caught her before she fell all the way to the floor, then, he gently got down on his knees, cradling Alexis in his arms. Tears stung his eyes and began to leak out onto his face.

"Alexis…" he whispered, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I-I…I'm so s-sorry…"

Her hand, which was even cooler than usual, took his. "V-Van Helsing…" she whispered, each word an effort to get out. "I-It hurts…oh, G-God it h-hurts…b-but it w-won't hurt m-m-much luh-longer… suh-soon I'll b-be fuh-free…" Her grip tightened on his wrist as a wave of agony seized her body. Her sharpened nails broke the skin; blood began to trickle from the cuts left on his wrist, but he didn't care. He held Alexis tighter letting her head rest on his chest while resting his head atop hers. Hot tears streamed down his face, leaking into her hair.

Despite the pain, a small smile crossed Alexis's face. "I-I can h-hear your h-heart b-beating…i-it's such a b-beautiful s-sound…t-thank you, V-Van H-Helsing…t-thank you f-for d-doing this…"

For a long moment, all was silent. Gabriel sobbed softly; Carl got to his knees, set the book and cross aside, and gave Alexis a very small, gentle hug, not even caring about the blood that got on his robes. After what seemed like an hour of silence, Alexis began to sing softly to Gabriel:

_Hold on to me, love  
__You know I can't stay long  
__All I wanted to say was I love you  
__And I'm not afraid  
__Oh…_

The song came soft and slow, each word costing Alexis tremendous effort. But her voice was sweet and melodious to Gabriel; the song was so sad, but, at the same time, so beautiful:

_Can you hear me?  
__Can you feel me in your arms?_

_Holding my last breath  
__Safe inside myself  
__Are all my thoughts of you  
__Sweet raptured light?  
__It ends here tonight…_

Alexis's song ended abruptly as she doubled over in a violent coughing fit. Blood sprayed the Vatican's ancient tile floor, as well as Gabriel's breeches and Alexis's skirt. Gabriel held her close; her cool, violently trembling body so fragile, like a porcelain doll that would break into a thousand pieces if dropped.

After her coughing fit subsided, she weakly lifted her head to stare at Gabriel. Blood tears stained her deathly-white face; one hand held Gabriel's, while the other was clasped between Carl's hands.

"A-Alexis…don't go…" Gabriel pleaded, his voice choked with tears.

A small smile crossed her face. "I…I luh-love you, Van H-Helsing…"

She took a deep breath, then, her eyelids slowly fluttered closed. The breath she had taken slowly escaped her crimson lips, and she grew limp in Gabriel's arms.

Carl looked up at Gabriel; tears stained his normally-ruddy face. "She's…dead…"

Gabriel bowed his head. More tears escaped from his eyes, dripping from his face into Alexis's hair. His shoulders shook as he sobbed. _Why did I ever agree to do this? _He wondered to himself. _Why did I agree to be the one to kill her..?_

A voice came suddenly, soft and mellifluous. Someone was singing to him:

_I'll miss the winter  
__A world of fragile things  
__Look for me in the white forest  
__Hiding in a hollow tree  
__Come find me_

_I know you hear me  
__I can taste it in your tears…_

Looking up, Gabriel saw a bright white light nearby. Within the light, a young woman stood, smiling at him and singing softly. Her black hair fluttered around her face as though a breeze was blowing; she was clad in pristine white robes, and beautiful white wings, spanning at least fourteen feet tip-to-tip, flared out from behind her back. She approached Gabriel, then kneeled so she was at his eye level:

_Holding my last breath  
__Safe inside myself  
__Are all my thought of you  
__Sweet raptured light?  
__It ends here tonight…_

"Alexis..?" Gabriel asked in awe.

She nodded, then reached out a hand that was glowing with an ethereal light and gently brushed the tears from Gabriel's face.

"Do not weep for me, Gabriel," she whispered comfortingly. "My soul is now at peace. Thank you, Gabriel…thank you for everything you have done…"

Suddenly, Carl gave a gasp and pointed in the direction of the confessionals. "Oh…m-my God…"

Gabriel and Alexis looked over and found another woman standing there. She looked like an older version of Alexis, with the same raven hair and viridian eyes. She too had wings and wore white robes, and was surrounded by an ethereal glow.

Alexis gasped softly. "Mama..?"

Gabriel watched as she stood and hurried towards her mother, who embraced her with open arms. They whispered loving mother-daughter words to each other, and then, still held in her mother's embrace, Alexis turned to look at Gabriel one last time.

"_Angelus of Deus,_" she said. "_Vos mos usquequaque exsisto meus curator carus…_"

The light surrounding the two women glowed brighter, until both Carl and Gabriel had to look away, lest they be blinded by the light. When they dared to look back, Alexis and her mother were gone. And yet, looking up through the glass dome, Gabriel swore he saw a small sphere of bright light rising in the dawn sky…

Carl stood to his feet, staring at the spot where both angels had been mere moments ago. "Where did they go..?"

"Heaven…" Gabriel said as he too stood to his feet, still cradling Alexis's lifeless body-which, to his surprise, had not crumbled to ashes-against his chest. "She ascended to Heaven…"

"And what exactly did she say before she…ascended?" Carl asked. "I know it was in Latin, but I didn't quite hear all of it…"

"I heard what she said," Gabriel said. A small smile came to his lips, despite the tears still coursing down his cheeks. "She said 'Angel of God, you will always be my guardian dear'."

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_**A/N: **(sniffs) Poor Alexis...may she finally be at peace..._

_Yes, I'm well aware that this chapter's a little shorter than my usual length. But there wasn't really much to write...there was her death, and her ascension...I'm sorry if it was kinda short. And about the Latin phrase...yes, it really does translate to "Angel of God, you will always be my guardian dear". No, I don't speak Latin though...thank God for the wonder of the Internet translator._

_Anyways...next item of business, yes, there is a contest for this chapter**: What is the name of the song Alexis sings, and what group performs it**? Chapter dedication to the first person to give me correct answer(and it'll get you bonus points if you can tell me what album its from!)_

_Well, I hope you enjoyed...and I really hope you guys didn't cry. I never intended to make you guys cry...please review!_


	28. Epilogue: Rose Upon Her Stone

_**A/N: **Hey guys! Welcome back to what is sadly the last chapter of **Angel of God, My Guardian Dear. **I can't believe it-I'm at the end of this story! Thanks to everyone's who's been here from the beginning-like my dear friend **Dr. Lust**- and thanks to everyone who reviewed the chapter: **VintageLyre, weapon13WhiteFang**-I'm sorry about killing off Alexis, by the way...I realize you liked her a lot**-**,** LunaLlena711, Gem of the Stars, Dr. Lust, icydragon14, and Kairi's-twin. **_

_By the way, I do have the contest results: The answer is **"My Last Breath" **by **Evanescence**(from the "Fallen" album-oldie but goodie). Congratulations to **VintageLyre, **the first one to give me the correct answer!_

_**Disclaimer: **No, I still don't own Van Helsing...(sighs loudly)_

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**_This chapter is dedicated to VintageLyre, my contest winner!

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_** Epilogue: Rose Upon Her Stone

A cool winter breeze blew through the graveyard, stirring up leaves and sending them skittering across the ground. Gabriel stood before the small gravestone, his head bowed. A red rose was clutched in his hands. Tears stained his face, and yet, he was smiling. Nearby, Carl stood, reading passages from his Bible-not in Latin, but in English.

_I knew this is what Alexis would have wanted, _Gabriel thought. _She would have wanted a simple funeral. I'm happy we were able to give one to her…_

Carl finished reading his passages and gently closed his Bible. He gave Gabriel a small nod, and Gabriel stepped forward and gently placed the rose atop the freshly-dug earth. He paused for a moment to read the words etched into the face of the gravestone:

_Alexis Samantha Roberts  
__May 19, 1871-December 15, 1888  
__A loving daughter, A caring friend_

Gabriel heard Carl's robes rustling as he knelt next to Gabriel, not caring that he was getting dirt on his robes. He glanced at the stone, then placed a comforting hand on Gabriel's shoulder.

"She's at peace now," he said comfortingly.

Gabriel nodded. "I know."

"At least we were able to give her a decent farewell, too," Carl said. "But…I thought vampires turned into ash when staked through the heart."

"They do…usually."

"But…Alexis didn't. Why?"

Gabriel shrugged. "I'm not sure, Carl. I had expected her to disintegrate into ash, but…I guess she didn't…I'm kind of glad she didn't. This way, we got to give her a proper funeral…"

Carl nodded, then crossed himself in respect for Alexis's soul and stood to his feet, brushing loose soil from his robes. "Are you coming, Van Helsing?"

Gabriel shook his head. "You go ahead, Carl. I'll catch up in a few minutes."

He heard Carl's footsteps retreat towards the cemetery's entrance, but he kept his eyes fixed on the tombstone before him. After a moment, he began to speak:

"Alexis…I'm glad you're at peace. You deserve it, after everything you've been through. I am glad I had the opportunity to meet you, and to work with you…I shall miss you…"

He sighed, then reached into his coat and produced the old book she had given him, as well as the silver cross on the black cord. He gently ran his fingers over the cross, then, setting the book down, he gently fastened the cross around his own neck. When this was done, he took the leather-bound volume into his hands once more.

Another sigh escaped his lips. The temptation was great…according to Alexis, only three little words had to be spoken, and his entire past would be in the palm of his hands. But what would that mean for him? What would his mean for his job?

"I know you gave me this so that I may know my past…" he said, weighing his words carefully. "But…as much as I wish to know who I am, and where I come from…I fear there may be consequences that are greater than me knowing. I think…I think if it's God's will for me to know my past, He shall find a way to let me know…"

He picked up the rose, then placed the book where the rose had lay. He gently placed the rose atop the book's cover, then stood up and turned to leave the graveyard. As he left, he glanced back at Alexis's gravestone. Amongst the gray gravestones and brown earth, the book-and Alexis's grave as well- was hard to distinguish. But then he saw it-the beautiful red rose cast upon her stone.

_A beautiful rose, _he thought. _A fitting tribute to a beautiful girl._

With that thought in mind, a small smile played over his lips, and he donned his hat, delicately touched the cross around his neck, and left the graveyard through the wrought-iron gates, heading back towards the Vatican.

He had a job to do.

He had a world to save.

_That last kiss, I'll cherish  
__Until we meet again  
__And time makes it harder  
__I wish I could remember  
__But I keep your memory  
__You visit me in my sleep  
__My darling  
__Who knew?_

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**A/N: **Again, I apologize for the shortness of this chapter! I had meant for it to be short and bittersweet, but I'm really sorry if you were expecting a longer chapter!

The lyrics at the end are from a song called** "Who Knew**?" by** P!nk**. Personally, I rather like this song-these are the lines from the last chorus-and I was reminded of this song when I was writing this chapter. It's such a sweet song...

Also, I have the results of the poll posted on my homepage-thank you to everyone who voted! Here are the results: First off, I will be focusing on finishing up** Night Warriors**(A Van Helsing fanfic). My next priority will be **The Taste of Revenge**(A Dracula 2000/Van Helsing crossover), followed by **Tears of the Sea**(A Pirates of the Caribbean fanfic), **So Dark This Night**(An Underworld/Van Helsing crossover), and finally **X-Men: A New Era**(an X-Men fanfic which no one voted for, sadly). I won't necessarily publish these one after the other-for example, I might start publishing **The Taste of Revenge **before I'm even done with **Night Warriors, **but that's the order of my priorites.

Well, this concludes the saga of **Angel of God, My Guardian Dear. **I hope everyone enjoyed, I thank everyone who reviewed, and I hope you'll drop me a line to let me know what you thought!

**Fin**


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